


A Place To Call Home

by Istoletime



Category: TLOU2 - Fandom, The Last of Us, zombies - Fandom
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Other, Playstation, The Last of Us - Freeform, Zombies, ellie williams, joel miller, ps4, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:47:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 65,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25001866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Istoletime/pseuds/Istoletime
Summary: Ellie and Joel had come to the end of their journey, they had the Jackson Community in their sights. But now that they have found a safe place to live where will their lives lead them now? - Mini Series.
Relationships: Companion - Relationship, Family - Relationship, Friends - Relationship, Friendship - Relationship, father and daughter - Relationship
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Jackson Community

**Author's Note:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I'm still making my way through the game, hopefully I'll be finished by tonight. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sentive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 1!

A New Home.

Ellie and Joel made their way down the steep embankment, they could see the Jackson Community in the distance. It's wooden walls protected the people who lived inside of it, Ellie could see the rooftops of the buildings inside of the wall. There were watch towers based around the wall of the community, it was well protected from outsiders and they had some views of the surrounding perimeter beyond the community wall.

Joel helped Ellie down a rocky part of the hill, she thanked him and walked headed of him. Joel followed not too far behind her, he kept his guard up just in case there were any Infected around these parts. It wasn't long until they found themselves on a pathway, it was leading them towards the Jackson Community. Ellie shielded her eyes from the sun, she could see mountains beyond the community. It was very scenic, it looked like a painting you'd see hanging in an Art Gallery.

" Whoa, do you see those mountains?" Ellie asked.

" Yeah I do, you can't say it's not pretty around here." Joel replied.

" Totally, it feels like I'm dreaming!" Ellie said.

" Well you better wake up fast kiddo, we'll be there soon enough." Joel said.

Ellie looked over her shoulder at Joel, she gave him a smile before she quickened her walking pace. Joel told her to slow down, she laughed slightly while she joked about him being old and slow. But she soon slowed down and waited for him to catch up with her, she didn't want to leave him behind. They kept on walking until they reached the gates of the community, two armed men pointed guns down at them and they both stopped. Ellie held her hands up in surrender while Joel spoke up to them, he spoke calmly to them.

" I'm here to see Tommy Miller, he's my Brother! " Joel said. " The name's Joel and this is Ellie, he told me we'd both be welcome here!"

They heard voices coming from the other side of the gate, the gate's large doors slowly opened and Tommy walked through the gateway to greet them. Ellie eyed up the men standing in the gateway, they were both holding Snipper Rifles. Ellie lowered her hands and watched Tommy stop in front of Joel, he looked happy to see the both of them.

" Well well well, look what the cats dragged in!" Tommy said.

" Tommy, it's good to see you!" Joel said.

Joel hugged his younger Brother and patted his back, they were happy to see each other. Ellie lingered behind Joel until Tommy noticed her, he gave her smile and offered her his hand. She shook Tommy's hand, but she wasn't expecting him to pull her into a hug. She awkwardly stood there for a brief moment before she hugged him back, she could get use to feeling loved by others.

" It's good to see you too Ellie, hopefully my big Brother has been taking good care of you." Tommy said, he pulled Ellie away from him. " You both looked tired, are you hungry?"

" I'm starving." Ellie replied.

" Alright, let's get you both something to eat." Tommy smiled.

Tommy patted Joel's shoulder and he told them to follow him, Ellie walked behind them while they walked through the gateway of the community. People greeted them has they walked by them, they both said hello back to them. The first thing Ellie saw were horses, she hurried passed them both and entered the stable. Joel called after her but Tommy told him it was okay, he told him it was safe inside the barn.

The smell of horse manure lingered in the air but that didn't bother Ellie, she looked around at her surroundings and smiled to herself. She could see a man saddling one of the horses and another man was cleaning one of the paddocks out, she hurried over to one of the horses before she ran her hand down it's neck. She checked beneath the horse and found out it was male, his coat was white has snow.

" Hey there." Ellie said, she allowed the horse to nudge her with his nose." What's your name?"

" That's Casper, he's a beauty huh?" Tommy said.

" He's so handsome, do you think I could ride him?" Ellie asked.

" I don't see a problem with that, but let's get you both settled in first." Tommy replied.

Ellie patted the horse's neck before she walked through the stable with Joel and Tommy, her eyes grew wide at what she saw next. There were cows, a whole herd of them in a fenced off area. This meant this community had resources, she was so excited right now. They walked passed a Play Ground area and a notice board with many posters on it, she even saw a school for young children in one of the buildings.

They kept on walking, Ellie stopped now and again to check out the different stores wares. She wanted to explore every single part of this community, she stopped in front of a second hand clothes store's window and looked at the window display. There was a mannequin wearing a long blue summer dress and a straw summer hat, there was also a donation box near the doorway. She rested her hands on the window and stared inside the store, there was all kinds of clothes inside the store.

" Holy shit Joel!" Ellie said. " There's so many clothes inside this store!"

" It's the best place to come if you need anything new to wear, we get mostly everything on supply runs." Tommy said. " You can even trade in old clothes for new, they get reused or ragged. We have a recycling system here, nothing goes to waste."

" I could do with some new sneakers." Ellie said while she pressed her face against the window. " I've got a hole on my sneaker's sole, they've been letting in water."

" We'll sort something out, but let's get you something to eat first." Tommy said.

"C'mon Ellie, let's keep going." Joel said while he guided her away from the store's window with his hand on her back. " We can visit the store later."

" But look at this place, it's so fucking cool!" Said Ellie.

" It's something alright." Joel said.

" It's more than something, it's paradise!" Ellie smiled.

Ellie slowly spun around while she walked, there was so many things going on around her. She looked at the different stores, she had never experienced anything like this before. She could see rabbits and deers hanging upside down outside of a Butcher's Store, there were baskets of vegetables and fruit. People were shopping with their child and trading their wares, it was just fascinating to see people acting normal for a change.

Ellie stopped outside of another store's window, but Joel guided her away from it and told her to stay close in case she got lost. Tommy pointed towards a building ahead of him and told them it was the best place in the community to get a hot meal, the sign above the buildings doorway read Tispy Bison Bar. Tommy went onto tell them that a man called Seth helped run the place, he had been living in the community for several years.

" Let's get those bellies filled, follow me." Tommy said.

Ellie and Joel followed Tommy into the bar, the first thing Ellie noticed was the fairy lights around the room. There were people chatting and drinking at tables, one person was playing darts. She had never been in a place like this before, this community Tommy and Maria had built together was amazing. Tommy showed them to a table, Ellie took her backpack off and sat down across from Joel.

" I hope you both like stew, it's the specialty of the day." Tommy said.

" What kind of stew?' Ellie asked.

" I think it's chili bean stew." Tommy replied, he rested his hand on Joel's shoulder. " My big Brother's favourite, just the way Mama use to make it."

" Yeah, don't I know it..." Ellie said before she blew a raspberry." Aftermath!"

" Hey!" Joel said.

" Nothing ever changes, huh?" Tommy asked.

" I guess you're right." Joel replied.

Tommy chuckled and patted Joel's shoulder before he left them, Ellie watched Tommy speaking to an old guy with grey hair at the bar. She turned her attention back to Joel and took her hoody off, she hung it over the back of the chair. She sniffed at her armpit and pulled a face, she was in dire need of a shower. She couldn't remember the last time she had bathed, but Joel smelt to high heaven too so Ellie didn't feel too self confident about it. It wasn't long until Tommy returned with a wooden tray, there was two bowls of stew with a plate of bread rolls on it and two glasses of milk.

" Bon appetit." Tommy said.

Tommy placed the tray down on the table and Ellie helped herself to the bread rolls, the bread rolls were so soft. She breathed in the scent of the stew and the warm bread roll, her mouth was watering. She quickly began eating the bread roll has her bowl of pipping hot stew was placed down in front of her, she soon spooned some of the stew into her mouth while she dipped some bread into it.

" Mind you don't choke there, Ellie." Tommy said.

" Sorry..." Ellie said while placed the bread roll next to her bowl. " I'm so hungry right now, this is the first hot meal I've had in weeks! Have you got anymore stew left?"

" We've got a big pot full in the kitchen, I can get you something else if you like." Tommy replied.

" Like what?" Ellie asked.

" Steak sandwiches, beef jerky and today we've got apple pie." Tommy replied.

" Apple pie?" Ellie asked, she looked over at Joel. " Can we have that too?"

" I don't see why not." Joel replied.

" Two slices of apple pie coming right up." Tommy said.

Tommy began walking away from the table, but Ellie soon called after him and asked him for some beef jerky too. Joel shook his head in amusement at Ellie, the kid was going to eat the Jackson Community out of house and home at this rate. Ellie finished her stew and secretly put some of the bread rolls in her hoody pocket for later, by the time Tommy returned she was ready for her dessert.

Joel tidied up the table while Ellie necked the rested of her milk back, she burped has she placed the glass down on the tray. Tommy sat down at the table with them this time and placed their plates of apple pie in front if them, Ellie was soon tucking into her dessert. She closed her eyes and savoured the taste for a few minutes while she slowly chewed the apple pie, it was so sweet.

" Are you still with us Ellie?" Tommy asked, he clicked his fingers in front of her face. " Earth to Ellie, is anyone home?"

" She's under Alien mind control right now, it happens now and again." Joel replied.

" Ha-ha! You're so funny Joel!" Ellie smiled and opened her eyes. " I was savouring the flavour, I've never had apple pie before..."

" What do you think kiddo?" Joel asked.

" It's good, I like it." Ellie replied.

" I'm glad to hear you like Seth's cooking, I'll pass on your compliments onto the chief." A woman said.

Ellie turned her gaze towards the woman and smiled at her, it was Maria. They hadn't had the greatest of introduction when they first met, Maria had been furious with Tommy when she found out about Ellie being bitten by an Infected person. They had argued and Ellie had fled from the community by stealing one of Tommy's horses, she had caused a lot of trouble between the married couple.

" I was wondering when you two would show up." Maria said.

" Hey Maria." Joel said.

" Hello Joel, I'm glad to see you're still in one piece." Maria said, she rested her hand Tommy's shoulder. " You've had your Brother worried, it's nice to know his mind will be at ease from now on."

" I wasn't that worried about him, I knew Ellie would keep an eye on him for me." Tommy said.

" Fuck yeah, I've saved his arse about twenty times in the last few months!" Ellie smiled.

" Twenty times? Someone is exaggerating." Joel said.

" Well, its good know he was safe hands." Maria said with smile. " When you're finished up here we've got some lodgings ready for you, I bet you can't wait to rest up."

" Thank you Maria, that's mighty kind of you." Joel said.

" You're family, there's no need for thanks." Maria said. " Now if you'd excuse me I've got somewhere to be, I'll come and visit you when you've settled in."

Maria kissed the top of Tommy's head before she left them, Tommy mentioned something about Maria having to deal with some issues in one of the garden's greenhouses. Ellie was interested in what he had told them, she wanted to learn more about plants and how to milk cows. When they had finished eating Tommy told them he'd take them to their lodgings, he even offered to show them around the community tomorrow.

Ellie put her backpack on and hung her hoody over her arm while Tommy took there plates back to the bar, she couldn't wait to explore the community tomorrow. But for now they had somewhere to go, a new place to call their home and hopefully somewhere to shower. They left the Tipsy Bison Bar and headed outside, they walked along the street together. They passed many stores along the way, Tommy was taking them to where most of the citizens lived in the Jackson Community.

" You're both going to love living here, trust me." Tommy said.


	2. A New Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I'm still making my way through the game, hopefully I'll be finished by tonight. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sentive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 2!

The lodgings Tommy had prepared for them wasn't what they were expecting, it was a beautiful old simple looking country house. The house had a porch and a stone pathway leading towards the porches steps, there was a white picket fence with a gate. A tree was growing in the front yard and the grass wasn't too overgrown, it was a fixer upper. They could plant flowers and make it more homely, Ellie couldn't wait to have a garden of her very own. Tommy opened the gate for Ellie and told her ladies first, but she piped saying age before beauty while she looked over at Joel.

" Hey Joel, do you need any help getting up the steps?" Ellie asked.

" Hey, I'm over the hill just yet." Joel replied.

" I'm just fucking with you." Ellie smiled.

Ellie walked up the steps to the the front yard and headed along the pathway, she couldn't wait to see what was inside the house. She peered through one of the windows but she couldn't see anything because the curtains were drawn, they would have some privacy from others at least. Ellie noticed a chair on the porch, she sat down on it and relaxed while she waited for Joel to walk up the pathway. Tommy opened the front door for them, Ellie got up from the chair and walked over to him. Joel entered the house first and Ellie followed after him, the sight that greeted them made Ellie speechless for once.

" What do you think?" Tommy asked.

" It looks comfortable." Joel replied.

" Comfortable? Holy shit Joel!" Ellie said, she hurried into the living room area. " Are you seeing this?!"

" I'm seeing it." Joel replied.

" It's like one of those showrooms you see in magazines!" Ellie said.

Ellie couldn't believe her eyes, the house was amazing. The living room had a bookcase and a leather creamy brown coloured couch with a matching armchair, there was a wooden fireplace with a clock on it's shelf. She hung her hoody over the back of the couch before she went to check out the bookcase, she tilted her to one side and read some of the book titles out to Joel. She could hardly contain her excitement when she found a pile of DVDs, she took one of the DVDs from the shelf and showed it to Joel.

" Have you seen this movie before?" Ellie asked, she looked at the DVD cases cover. " Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, it sounds delicious."

" About twenty times, it was one of Sarah's favourite movies." Joel replied.

Ellie looked up at Joel from the DVD case, she saw a flash of sadness cross his face for a brief moment before Tommy rested his hand on Joel's shoulder. Ellie apologized to him and told him she was such a dumbass sometimes, but Joel said it was okay. Tommy told them they had plenty of time to watch movies later, Ellie put the DVD back and followed Joel into dining room, she was drawn to the drinks cabinet on the other side of the room. She looked at one of the bottles and put it back when she heard Joel's voice, it wasn't like she was going to drink it.

" Now don't you be getting any ideas kiddo." Joel said.

" Please, drinking is for losers." Ellie said while she rolled her eyes at him. " Do you think I want to turn out like Bill or something? Some porno loving drunk living in an abandoned Church, I think not!"

" I beg your pardon?" Tommy asked.

" It's a long story, I'll tell you about it later." Joel replied.

" Alright then, let me show you the kitchen." Tommy said.

Ellie and Joel followed Tommy through an open doorway that led into the kitchen, Ellie stopped at the counter while she looked through the window above the sink. She could see some kids playing in a front yard a few houses away from them, she checked out the rest of the kitchen while Tommy spoke to them about the fixtures and fittings. She was impressed with everything that Tommy showed them in the kitchen, she had no idea what somethings kitchen appliances were used for but she liked the idea of having them around the kitchen.

" You've got everything you'll need in here, it all works too." Tommy said, he rested him hands on the breakfast counter. " The fridge is stocked up with eggs, meat and milk. You've got coffee and sugar in those cupboards over there, we've got a ration system but we've always got plenty of food to go around."

" You mean we can cook stuff with a working stove?'" Ellie asked.

" Yeah." Tommy replied.

" Well then, I guess our camping stove's days are over." Joel said.

" Rest in peace camping stove, you'll be missed." Ellie said.

" Do you want to bury it in the back yard later?" Joel asked.

" Sure." Ellie replied.

" I can take it off your hands, there's people who may need it." Tommy said.

" We can donate it, I don't mind." Ellie said.

" That's mighty kind of you." Tommy said.

" Hey Tommy, can I ask you what the catch is?" Ellie asked while she crossed her arms. " There's always a catch, right? Nothing nice comes for free, even I know that."

" There's no catch, you've just got to pitch in with daily cores and patrols." Tommy replied. " But you don't need to worry about that right now, just settle in first and rest up while you can."

Ellie checked out the rest of the kitchen with Joel, there were small jars of dried herbs and medium sized jar of pasta on one of the cupboard's shelves. Ellie took a jar of beans from the cupboard and showed them to Joel, she told him that she would do the cooking tonight because Joel was a terrible cook. There had been the odd occasion where Joel hadn't stirred the baked beans in the saucepan, they ended up eating burnt food more than once on their travels. Joel didn't argue with her, he told her he didn't mind if she wanted to cook tonight and to make it fair he would do the washing up.

" C'mon, let me show you the rest of the house." Tommy said.

Tommy led them out of the kitchen and took them upstairs, Ellie couldn't help but admire the paintings on the wall going up the staircase. They were mostly of horses and mountain ranges with vast landscapes, she thought they were really cool. They walked across the landing together and Tommy showed them around the upstairs part of the house, he showed them the bathroom first. He told Joel he had an onsweet bathroom, Ellie didn't have a clue what an onsweet bathroom was until Tommy explained it to her. Next Tommy showed Joel his bedroom, it was very spacious and simple. There was a double bed and a set of draws, the room even had its own walk in closet with some clothes already hanging up inside of it.

" It's defiantly giving off the old man vibes in here." Ellie joked.

" Hey, I heard that..." Joel said while he placed his backpack next to the bed." This room reminds me of my old bedroom back in Texas, it's good enough for me."

" Why don't you go and check out your bedroom, it's the first door on the landing near the staircase." Tommy said.

" Wait, I have my own bedroom?!" Ellie asked.

" Yeah, Maria helped me pick out a few things for you." Tommy replied with a smile. " I hope you like it."

Ellie hurried out of the Joel's bedroom and headed across the landing, she opened the door across from the staircase. She gasped at the sight that greeted her, she yelled for Joel to come and check out her bedroom. She took her backpack off and placed it down by a desk, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was a record player near the window with a box full of vinyls next to it, she had her own double bed and her own closet space. She wandered around the room and looked at every single thing Maria had chosen for her, she really loving the dream catcher hanging above her bed. She stopped at a box full of posters, she took one of the rolled up posters out of the box and held it in front of her while she rolled it out. It was a poster of the Solar System, she was mad about Space.

" Whoa!" Ellie said.

" Wow, it seems like you've got the best room in the house." Joel said.

" Don't I fucking know it!" Ellie said.

Ellie turned around the face Joel, she had the biggest smile on her face while she showed him the poster. She rolled the poster back up and place it back in the box, she then pointed over to a pile of comic books. She hurried over to them and flicked through one of the comics, she was in her own little world right now. She hadn't really had her own room since she was at Military School in Boston, it would be nice having her own space she could make her own mark on. Joel cleared his throat which caught her attention, he told her that Tommy wanted a quick word with them before he left. She put the comic book back and joined them on the landing, Tommy give Ellie a smile has she joined them.

" What do you think of your room?" Tommy asked.

" Dude, it's amazing! Thank you so much for everything!" Ellie replied.

Tommy spoke to them both about coming over to his and Maria's house for dinner tomorrow night, he said he could go through the patrol duties with them. He told them both to have a nice evening before he left, Joel closed the front door of the house while Ellie sat down on the staircase. She watched Joel bolt the door which confused her, they were both in a safe place while they remained in the Jackson Community. But the change would take some getting use to since they had always been on the road, it was the first time they would have a comfortable and safe place to stay for the night without worrying about Hunters or the Infected finding them.

" Alright, what shall we do first?" Joel asked.

" I don't know, I guess we could get cleaned up and then explore the rest of the house." Ellie said while she wrapped her arms around her legs. " We could watch some movies or go for a walk around the neighbourhood, you know do... normal stuff."

" Yeah, we can do that." Joel said.

" But how do I act normal after everything that has happened?" Ellie asked.

" Just be yourself." Joel replied.

" But what if no one likes me here?" Ellie asked.

" Ellie, who wouldn't like you?" Joel asked.

" I don't know, the other kids..." Ellie replied.

Joel sighed and walked over to the staircase, he sat down next to Ellie while he cupped his hands together. He told her that it would take them sometime to get use to living in a house again and mingling with other people, he told her it had been over twenty years since he had owned a nice house. Ellie listened to him talking about his old home back in Texas, he told her about his old construction job and how Tommy use to babysit Sarah while he studied at college. He mentioned Sarah a few times, it was nice that he was beginning to be more open about his past with her.

Ellie decided to tell Joel about the Military School she use to attend back in Boston, she told him about how she use to get loads of detentions for being mouthy in her lessons and how one time she broke curfew because she was craving beef jerky. She even told him more about her friend Riley, she mentioned that Riley had joined the Fireflies and how her friend believed that they were the right group to join at the time. She quickly changed the subject after a while though, she didn't want to bring up the Fireflies again after everything that had happened to them both at St Mary's hospital.

" I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a Mom." Ellie said while she tucked some hair behind her ear." I never got the chance to meet mine, Marlene told me about her while I was growing up. But it's not the same, I don't even have a picture of her."

" Do you ever miss her?" Joel asked.

" I guess..." Ellie replied with a sigh. " Sometimes wonder what her favourite food was or if she liked comic books, did she like rock or pop music? It's things like that I'll never know about her, all I have from her is a letter she wrote before she died. I hardly know anything about my Dad, it's like he never existed."

" A letter is better than nothing kiddo, she loved you and that's the most important thing." Joel replied.

" Yeah, you're right." Ellie said. " How about you Joel? Do you ever miss your old life?"

" You mean the life I had before the Apocalypse happened?" Joel asked.

" Yeah." Ellie replied.

Joel went quiet for a moment while he looked down at his hands, he licked his lips before he told Ellie that he would give anything to go back to the old days. He told her that he missed Sarah, he even mentioned how much he missed his Ex Wife. Ellie rested her hand on Joel's arm while he spoke to her about how he had brought Sarah up by himself with the help of Tommy, he seemed to be getting upset. He cleared his throat and got up from the step while he ran his hand over his face, he told Ellie he was going to get cleaned up.

Ellie watched Joel walking up the staircase, she got up from the step and followed after Joel. She stopped him at the top of the staircase and gave him a hug. She told him that if he ever needed to talk about anything she would be here for him, he wrapped his arms around her and thanked her for being there for him. She snuggled her face into his jacket, she could smell sweat and damp leather but that was Joel's scent. It was comforting, she felt safe in his embrace.

" You're a good kid, Ellie." Joel said. " Don't ever let anyone else tell you any different."


	3. Three Days Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> -Stand by Me by Ben E. King
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sentive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 3!

Three Days Later

Ellie scrubbed at her foot with a bar of soap, she was taking a bath before she went out to meet Maria in one of the greenhouses near their house. Ellie had offered to help Maria out with the strawberry picking, after she learnt that other kids were going to be there she had tried to worm her way out of it. Joel told her it would be good for her to make some friends, but Ellie still had doubts about making friends because she was different. Most kids in the Jackson Community hadn't seen the horrors that she had seen with Joel, they had been sheltered from the evil the Apocalyptic world had to offer them.

Rubbing the soap along her right arm Ellie soon noticed her scar, she could still see the faded bite mark and her skin around it was red still. She was going to have to lie about it and keep her immunity a secret from others, she could pass her scar off has acid burns. She lay back in the bathtub and rested her feet by the taps, it had been a while since she had enjoyed a hot bath. Taking a deep breath she ducked her head beneath the water and opened her eyes while she blew bubbles from her mouth, the water was getting murky now. She was trying to hold her breath beneath the water, she had a record of two minutes and she wanted to make it to two minutes and a half before Joel taught her how to swim.

" Ellie, are you okay in there?!" Joel asked.

Ellie emerged from beneath the water when she heard Joel's voice, she wiped some water away from her eyes while she coughed. She told Joel that she was taking a bath, but he told her that it was almost 8:30am. Pulling the bath pug out of the bathtub she climbed out if it and grabbed herself a towel from the side, she had already set herself some clean clothes out on the toilet seat. She had chosen a vest top and some blue jeans, she needed something that was comfortable to work in since the chores Maria had given her for the day were physical.

" Ellie, what are you doing in there?!" Joel asked.

" I'm taking a shit! What do you think I'm doing?" Ellie yelled while she wrapped a towel around herself. " I'll be out in a moment!"

Ellie laughed when she heard Joel telling her to get a move on, he didn't want Ellie to keep Maria waiting. He told her that he had made her some breakfast, she dared not ask what it was though in case he had burnt it. Ellie had mostly done all of the cooking for the last three days, she really enjoyed following recipes in cook books that Maria had even her. But Joel had insisted on making breakfast this morning, he could make toast with the aid of a toaster.

Drying herself off and getting changed into her planned outfit she threw her used towel into the laundry basket before she hurried downstairs to the kitchen, Joel was already eating his breakfast while he read a book about carpentry. He had made toast and boiled eggs, there was also freshly squeezed orange juice in a glass jug with sliced oranges floating around in it. There was a fresh pot of brewed coffee and small block of butter on a plate, there was even a jar of strawberry jam. Ellie sat on the chair across from him and poured herself a glass of orange juice, she took a sip of it while she helped herself to some toast.

" Morning kiddo." Joel said.

" Morning Joel, I'm so hungry right now!" Ellie said.

" You're always hungry." Joel said.

Ellie buttered herself some toast and took a big bite of it, the bread was so good. She spoke to Joel about how she could now hold her breath under water for two minutes and that she was excited about learning how to swim, but Joel soon brought up the subject about her making new friends. Ellie sighed deeply to herself, she wasn't looking forward to meeting these kids Maria had asked to help with the strawberry picking. She pulled her slice of toast apart with her fingers while she ate it, she told Joel that she was still nervous about meeting them.

" You'll be fine, do you know where you're going?" Joel asked.

" Yeah, I remember where the greenhouses are." Ellie replied while she licked her fingers tips clean. " I can take a shortcut through the back yard, they're right behind our house. What are you doing today? Are you going out on patrol with Tommy again?"

" Not today, but I'll be out when you get back home." Joel replied.

" Where are you going?" Ellie asked.

Joel showed Ellie the book he was reading, he told her he was going to help out with some construction work in the community. Ellie told him to be careful in case he hurt himself because he was getting old, he playfully hit Ellie on the top of her head with the book and told her to get moving. She looked over at the wall clock in the kitchen, it was nearly 9am and that meant she was running late. She ate the rest of her toast and grabbed one of the boiled eggs from the plate before she went to get her sneakers from the shoe rack in the hallway. She sat down on the floor and put her sneaker on while she stuff the whole boiled egg into her mouth, she looked towards the kitchen when Joel called her name.

" Don't forget to bandage your arm!" Joel said.

" Yeah I know!" Ellie said with her mouth full. "I'll do it before I leave the house!"

Ellie swallowed the egg and fastened her shoelaces, she felt something bounce off the top of her head. She looked over her shoulder and saw Joel leaning against the wall while he drank his coffee, he had found her some bandages to use for her arm. She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed the bandages from the floor while she got onto her feet, she probably deserved having the packet of bandages thrown at her because she had been making fun of Joel's age again. She wrapped the bandage around her bite mark and fastened it with a baby nappy pin, she was ready to start her day of helping out with chores of the Jackson community.

" Have you got everything?" Joel asked.

" I think so..." Ellie replied, she tied her hair up into a ponytail. " Wish me luck!"

" You've got this kiddo, you'll be making friends before you know it." Joel said.

" We'll see, I'll see you later." Ellie said.

" I'll leave the back door unlocked for you, be careful out there." Joel said.

" You too." Ellie said.

Ellie hurried into the kitchen, she drank the rest of her juice and stole a slice of Joel's toast before she left the house through the back door. The day was hot and humid, she was happy that she had put her vest top on since she knew she would be getting all sweaty today. The last time she had been in a greenhouse was back in Boston, she use to steal apples for her and Riley in the Summertime. She kept on walking until she reached the area where all of the communities fruit and vegetables were grown, there was six greenhouses in total. She peered into one of them, she could see watermelons and tomatoes vines. The tomatoes looked so ripe and juicy, they would be perfect on sandwiches with cheese. She carried on walking until she reached the third greenhouse, she could see Maria with a boy inside of it.

Opening the door she walked inside the greenhouse and closed the door behind her, the heat hit her immediately. She could feel herself sweating already, her top was already sticking to her body and her bandage was beginning to feel damp. Maria greeted her has she joined them, she noticed her name written on a chalkboard along with two other names. The boy with Maria eyed Ellie up curiously, he was tall with dark hair and brown eyes. He was quite handsome and he looked around the same age has her, she cupped her hands behind while she smiled at Maria.

" Sorry I'm late, I kind of lost track of time." Ellie said.

" It's fine, I'll let you off since it's your first day in the greenhouse." Maria said.

Maria showed them around them around the greenhouse, she told them that the plants needed to be watered once a day and that all the gardening tools they would need are kept in the back on the greenhouse. They would have to make sure everything was put back when they had finished their chores, she wanted all of the strawberry plants to be checked and some green bean seeds to be potted before the end of their shift. Maria then showed them where the baskets and the plant pots were kept, there were wooden boxes of soil stacked up in pile. There were jars of labelled seeds on a shelf, it was a simple system to follow. They were allowed to have a break at lunch time, someone would come around with water and sandwiches for them to eat outside of the greenhouse. Maria was about to leave them but she lingered in the greenhouse's doorway, it looked like she was looking for someone.

" Where's Dina?" Maria asked.

" Women problems, she should be here soon." He said.

" Alright, get started without her then." Maria said.

Maria left them alone and they both stood in silence, but the boy soon got to work. Ellie felt awkward while she followed him down the greenhouses pathway, she didn't even know what to say to this random boy. The boy began potting up the plant pots and Ellie grabbed a basket from a shelf, she left him in the back of the greenhouse. She stopped in front of the strawberry plants and sat down on the pathway, she stared at the strawberry plant for a moment before she picked one of the ripe strawberries from the plant. She jumped though when the boy sat down next to to her, he gave her a smile and placed a strawberry in the basket.

" So, you're the new girl?" He asked.

" Yeah that's me, I'm the new girl." Ellie replied.

" How are you finding Jackson?" He asked.

" It's different, I mean I'm still getting use to it." Ellie replied while she carefully pulled a strawberry from the plant. " I'm not use to being somewhere normal, I've been traveling a lot for the last year."

Ellie chatted with the boy, he told her after a while that his name was Jesse. He had moved to Jackson with his Mother, he had only been living in the community for a few years. He told Ellie that the community was cool, he really liked living here since it was safe. He wanted to start doing the patrols at some point, but he was too young to join them right now. They were both interrupted by the greenhouse's door opening, a girl with dark hair hurried into the room and quickly closed the door behind her. She was out of breath and her cheeks were red, it looked like she had been running for miles.

" You're late, but I covered for you." He said.

" Thanks Jesse, I owe you one." She said.

Ellie watched the girl speaking with Jesse, she hadn't seen her around the community. But Ellie was still new here, she had only met a handful of people and she couldn't remember half of their names. She turned her attention back the strawberry plant, she continued to pick the strawberries until the girl sat down next to her. They made eye contact for a brief moment, the girl held her hand towards Ellie and introduced herself to her.

" Hey, I'm Dina " She said.

" I'm Ellie." Ellie said, she shook her hand. " I'm new here."

" I've heard, how are you settling in?" Dina asked.

" I'm settling in good thanks." Ellie replied. " I'm still getting use to everything around here..."

" I bet, it can be overwhelming at first." Dina said.

Ellie spoke with the two teens while they worked together, they told her all she needed to know about the Jackson Community. They told her all about the patrol system and the stores, but the topic soon turned to life stories. Dina told Ellie that she use to live in New Mexico with her Mother and Sister before she moved to Jackson, there was a group located there called The Ravens. The group didn't last for long so she left New Mexico with her big Sister Talia, but after her Sister passed away she joined the Jackson Community. Dina soon changed the subject, she wanted to know more about Ellie and where she use to live before she chose to live in Jackson. Ellie went a little bit shy on them, she wasn't use to speaking to others about herself.

" Well, I like comic books, drawing and bad jokes." Ellie said while she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. " I've not had time to draw much lately, but I'm hoping I can take it up again soon. I use to live in Boston, but things changed."

" What kind of stuff do you draw?" Dina asked.

" Anything really, but I do like stretching animals and people." Ellie replied.

" Do you think you could draw me one time?" Dina asked.

" Sure." Ellie replied.

" You're living with Joel Miller, right?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah." Ellie replied.

" What's he like?" Jesse asked.

" Joel is cool, he's grumpy sometime but I like him." Ellie replied.

" Jesse, stop being nosy." Dina sighed.

" What? I heard Joel was a legendary badass!" Jesse said, he playfully threw a strawberry at Dina. " Is it true that he use to be a smuggler back in Boston? I heard he's a pro with a shotgun, it wouldn't surprise me much though since Tommy is the best sniper in the Jackson Community."

" Ignore him, Jesse can be a big fanboy at times." Dina said.

" Hey, I heard that!" Jesse said.

Ellie laughed slightly when Dina punched Jesse's arm, they were pretty funny. They chatted for most of the day while they worked together, Ellie opened up a little bit more about herself and told them more about her hobbies at lunch time. Dina did asked Ellie what she had done to her arm, but she told her that it was an acid burn she had gained on her travels with Joel. Jesse offered to show Ellie around the library on Saturday and Dina told her she would introduce her to a girl named Cat who she roommates with in the community's boarding house. Dina explained to her that Cat was a really good artist, Ellie said she would love to met her at some point.

The chores at the greenhouse soon ended, they had just finished tidying up before Maria came to check up on them. She was impressed with their work and applauded them for helping the community, she told them the same time tomorrow. Ellie said goodbye to Dina and Jesse, they told her they would see her in the morning. Ellie made her way back home, the back door of the house was left unlocked for her. She opened the door and closed it behind her, the house was silent.

" Joel, are you home yet?!" Ellie yelled.

There was no reply, she hurried upstairs and got some clean clothes from her bedroom. She kicked her sneakers off while she headed to the bathroom, she had a quick wash before she got changed into some jogging pants and a baggy white shirt. Grabbing her sneakers and talking her dirty clothes downstairs Ellie threw her dirty clothes in the unused bathtub downstairs before she placed her sneakers on the shoe rack, she then put a record on in the living room. The song Stand By Me by Ben E. King blared from the record player's speakers, she loved discovering new songs.

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we'll see

No I won't be afraid

Oh, I won't be afraid

Just has long has you stand, stand by me

Ellie moved her feet along to the rhythm of the song has she walked to the kitchen, there was a few dishes waiting for her in the sink. She quickly washed them and left them on the draining board, she then wiped down the kitchen's table. After she was done she started to prepare dinner, she was going to try and make a beef stew she had seen in a cook book. She sliced some vegetables and filled a cooking pot with water, she switched the stove's hob on while she added some cubs of beef to the bubbling water. She seasoned it and added the vegetables, it wasn't long until it was done.

Ellie sat down at the kitchen's table and flicked through one of the comic books while she waited for Joel to return home, she was getting hungry now. Joel had made one rule in the house, they would always sit and eat together at dinner time. Her attention was soon drawn to the hallway when she heard the front door open, she got up from her chair and hurried over to the stove. She switched the hob back on and stirred the stew, she didn't want to burn the cooking pot's bottom.

" Something smells good." Joel said.

" Well yeah, I'm cooking." Ellie said with a smile. " How was your construction work? Did you build anything cool? You know like a Pyramid or some carriages, maybe a UFO."

" A UFO?" Joel asked.

" I'm just messing with you." Ellie laughed.

Joel told Ellie that he was going to get cleaned up before dinner, she continued to stir the stew while he went upstairs. The pot was soon bubbling, she took two bowls from the cupboard and served up dinner. She placed the bowls on the table and sliced them some bread for dipping in the stew, Ellie was pretty pleased with the way dinner had turned out. She sat at the table and waited for Joel to join her, her stomach was grumbling pretty loudly right now. It wasn't long until Joel joined her at the table, he looked exhausted. He helped himself to some bread and Ellie pushed a spoon across the table for him, they soon tucked into their stew while they spoke together.

" How did chores go today?" Joel asked.

" I actually enjoyed it, I'll be doing the same thing tomorrow too." Ellie replied while she spooned some stew into her mouth. " I think I've made some new friends..."

" That's great kiddo." Joel smiled.

Ellie give Joel a smile, he told her he thought it was great that she was mingling with kids her own age. She told him all about Dina and Jesse, she even mentioned that they were going to take her to the Jackson library on Saturday. Ellie joked though about Joel finding his own age group of friends, but he soon changed the subject and asked her if she would like to learn how to swim on Sunday. She rested her spoon against her bottom lip and thought his offer through, she nodded her head at him while a big grin crept across her face.

" I would totally love that!" Ellie said.

" Then it's settled." Joel said.


	4. Goldfish Girl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 4!

Summertime - 2034

Saturday had been an exciting day for Ellie, Jesse and Dina were the perfect tour guides around The Jackson Community. They showed Ellie the library and introduced her to their friend Cat, she was a really cool person. She had shown Ellie some of her artwork and her own random comic book sketches she had been working on for the last week, she was also a fan of the Savage Starlight series. Cat's artwork blew Ellie away, Cat had really impressed her with her comic strip stories. Cat was also designing tattoos for some of the local people, she dreamed of owning the first ever Tattoo Parlour in The Jackson Community.

Ellie had spent the whole Saturday with her new group of friends, they hung out at the playground area and Cat took them to one of the community's nature walk trails for a picnic. Cat's Mom had made them a few steak sandwiches and a flask of hot strawberry tea, she had even gave them some beef jerky. They had spent the day reading comic books and exploring the trail, they even discovered rope swing over a pond. Ellie had watched them playing around in the pond and splashing each other, she told them she couldn't swim when they invited her to join them. They didn't make fun of her or question her why she couldn't swim, she did mention to them that Joel was going to start teaching her how to swim from Sunday.

The day had been fun for Ellie, she couldn't wait to do it all over again next weekend. But now it was Sunday and Joel was going to teach her how to swim, he had mapped out a route for them to take outside of The Jackson Community. It was going to be the first time she had ventured beyond the safety of the walls of the community since she had arrived there, but she trusted Joel's judgement. They left their house and headed to the stables, Ellie was really looking forward to riding a horse again. Tommy had told her he had chosen the perfect horse for her to use on trips outside of the community, she couldn't wait to meet the horse.

Ellie entered the stable with Joel, Tommy was already there with two horses for them. He introduced her to a beautiful brown coloured horse named Shimmer, he told her that this horse would belong to her from now on. Ellie stroked the horse's neck and checked beneath it, the horse was female. Joel checked both of the horse's satchels, there was food rations and medical supplies inside of them. There was also a drinking canteen and some spare bullets in a small satchel, it was all the things they would need while they were outside of the community.

Ellie mounted her horse and took hold of the reins, she placed her feet in the stirrups while she beckoned the horse to move forward with a gentle tap on the horse's sides. She rode the horse out of the stable and greeted a few on the farmhands, she had met a lot them in the week while she worked on the crop fields. Joel wasn't that far behind her, she rode the horse to the wall's gates and waited for him there. The gates opened has Joel approached them and Tommy gave Ellie a bow with about five arrows, he told her she may need them just in case they ran into any trouble. She thanked him and put the arrows in the satchel, she connected the bow to her backpack.

Tommy waved them off before they rode through the open gateway, he told them to take care on their journey while Ellie waved back at him. Joel took the lead while Ellie rode not far behind him, they made way along a pathway and through field of corn. Ellie looked at an abandoned Gas Station has they rode passed it, Joel told her that they had found some useful tools in there a few days ago. They kept on moving until they found themselves in a forest of tall trees, there was a stream running through the forest with many Bluebells lining the embankment and the small stones in the water glistened in the sunlight.

Joel checked his map while he continued to ride his horse, he told Ellie that they should arrive at the spot he had chosen to teach Ellie to swim in an hours time. They kept on moving through the forest, the sweet smell of covers lingered in the air. There were many beautiful wildflowers and the bird flew above them in the treetops, the day was getting hot now. The landscape beyond The Jackson Community was just stunning, it was nice getting to explore the lands outside of the community. It wasn't long until they came to the edge of the forest, there was a vest lake just outside the forest.

Ellie shielded her eyes from the sun has looked out across the lake, it went on for miles. The sun shimmered on the surface of the lake and the small waves crashed against the lake's shoreline, the water looked so inviting on this hot day. She could see some buildings on the other side of the lake, she pointed them out to Joel and he told her it was an old Summer Camp while he dismounted his horse.

" Do you think we could explore it?" Ellie asked.

" Maybe some other time." Joel replied.

" Could you imagine if it was like that Summer Camp we saw in those horror movies last week?" Ellie asked, she thought for a moment. " What were they called again?"

" Friday The 13th." Joel replied.

" Yeah, Jason and his Mother." Ellie said.

" You've got much chances of finding Infected there than make believe movie characters." Joel said.

" I'd rather have the Infected than Jason, they're less stabby." Ellie said.

Ellie dismounted her horse and she let Shimmer wander with Joel's horse to the water's edge, she then walked to the shoreline of the lake. It was pebbly, Joel told her that it kind of reminded him of a beach. Ellie had never been to the beach before or paddled in the ocean, but she had seen pictures of the coastal areas in books. She picked a pebble from the ground and threw it into the lake, it made a plopping sound which made her smile. Joel joined her side and crossed his arms while he breathed in the fresh air, it seemed like he was taking in the view.

" How did you find this place?" Ellie asked.

" Tommy told me about it." Joel replied while he looked at Ellie. " I thought it would be the perfect place to teach you how to swim."

" Tommy sure knows all the best places around here, it's perfect." Ellie said.

" You're right." Joel said.

" Did you bring any swimwear?" Ellie asked.

" Nope, we can just swim in our clothes." Joel replied.

" Awesome!" Ellie said.

Ellie took her backpack off and sat down on the ground, she took her sneakers off next. Joel told her to be careful before he took his backpack off, he said sometimes there could be strong currents in lakes. She told him okay has she got up from the ground, she then hurried towards the lake. She paddled her feet in the water and wiggled her toes, the water was freezing. She complained to Joel about the water being too cold, but he told her to suck it up and just get on with it. Ellie sighed to herself and walked further into the lake, she gasped has the water reached her waist. The water was taking her breath away, she shivered has she gently moved her arms around in the water while she waited for Joel to join her.

" Holy shit! It's so fucking cold!" Ellie yelled.

" You'll get use to it, just don't go too far out." Joel said.

Ellie turned around to face Joel has her teeth chattered, she was so tempted to have a pee in the water so she would warm up a bit. Wrapping her arms around herself she remained still until Joel joined her in the lake, he also complained about how cold the water was and that he wished he had brought them some diving suits to swim in now. Apparently he had seen some in the stockroom in the Clothes Store, Ellie was interested in knowing where they had found them since they weren't close to any coastal areas.

" Are you ready?" Joel asked.

" Yeah." Ellie replied.

" Okay, just move your arms first and we'll do the leg kicking thing later." Joel said.

Joel showed Ellie how to move her arms, he told her to copy him. Ellie moved her arms in circles, she was told by Joel that this swimming technique was called the front crawl. It was a faster swimming stroke, he also mentioned she would have to learn how to move her head side to side while she swam. Ellie practiced the arm movements, she was getting use to them now. Joel told her he would support her body while she kicked her legs, he crouched in the water and held his arms out in front of him. He told Ellie to lie across his arms on her stomach, he promised not to let go of her until she was ready. She did what he asked, she moved her arms in the water and kicked her legs while Joel supported her body.

" Gentle kicks." Joel said.

Ellie slowed her legs down and gently moved her feet, the splashes became less. Joel told her to move her arms and legs in circles in the water this time, he said it was called the breaststroke. Ellie moved her arms and legs in the water, she told Joel she felt like a frog. Joel laughed at her remark while he lowered his arms into the water, she swore has she began moving forward. She panicked slightly in the water while she kicked her legs hard, but she kept moving forward.

" Fuck, fuck... fuck!" Ellie yelled.

" Keep going!" Joel smiled.

Moving her arms and legs in the water Ellie kept moving forward, she cough though when she tried to put her head beneath the water. Joel swam passed Ellie and stopped ahead of her, he held his hands towards her with a big smile on his face. He encouraged her to keep going, he told her not to quite. She kept going until she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed while she gave him a hug. Pulling herself away from Joel she held onto his arm, she was so happy with herself right now.

" I fucking did it!" Ellie smiled, she spat some water from her mouth before she coughed. " Holy shit Joel, did you see me?!"

" I did kiddo, you did good." Joel replied.

" This is so awesome, I can't believe I did it!" Ellie said.

Joel congratulated Ellie once again has he stood up in the water, she tried to put her feet on the bottom of the lake but she ended up with a mouth full of water instead. She held onto Joel's arm has he walked back towards the shoreline, she finally managed to find her footing and let go of his arm. Joel got out of the lake but Ellie decided to stay in for a little bit longer, the water was rather cooling in the summer's heat.

" Are you going to try it again?" Joel asked.

" Hell yeah, just give me a minute to catch my breath first." Ellie replied.

" Just be careful, okay?" Joel asked.

" Okay." Ellie replied.

Ellie moved around in the shallow part of the lake, she was trying to get her arm movements right so she could move faster in the water. Joel was sitting not that far from the shoreline, he had made a campfire and he was using his new camping stove Tommy had given him to boil some water in his camping kettle so they could have some Cup Noodles for their lunch. She made eye contact with Joel while she splashed her arms around in the water, he shook his head at her in amusement.

" Ellie, you're doing it all wrong!" Joel said, he showed her what do to again with his arms. " You're flapping around in there like a fish, do what I'm doing!"

" I'm fucking trying!" Ellie coughed.

" You're like a Goldfish, keep you mouth closed!" Joel said.

" What's a Goldfish?" Ellie asked.

" A little orange coloured fish with a three month memory span, they sold them in pet stores." Joel replied with a smile. " Something you've both got in common, you know the three month memory span part."

" Ha-ha! You're so funny!" Ellie said.

" You'll get better over time, you've done good for your first swimming lesson." Joel said.

" Is lunch ready yet?" Ellie asked.

Joel gave Ellie a nod of his head, she hurried out of the lake and shook herself off like a dog would after it had gotten wet. She sat down next to Joel and cupped her hands around the hot cup of noodles, the smell was so intense. It smelt like really strong beef broth, the Cup Noodles had been a trade with a passing group near the community. She had been told by Joel that some people needed some medicine for a sick child, so Tommy had arranged for a trade to be made between him and the group. It happened a lot in The Jackson Community, some groups of people would joined the community and live peacefully amongest them. But other groups sometimes attacked the community for self gain, they wanted supplies and livestock. It was sad when it happened, but Ellie knew that some people out there weren't trustworthy.

Ellie brew on her Cup Noodle before she took a sip of it, the flavouring of the broth mixture was salty. She pulled her knees to her chest and looked out across the lake, she could see mountains just beyond the Summer Camp, it felt like heaven on earth to Ellie. It was days like these that she enjoyed the most with Joel, they could relax and just be themselves around each other. She placed her Cup Noodle on the ground and took her notebook from her backpack, she opened it up while she took a pencil from her bag's pocket. She looked around at her surroundings and noticed Shimmer drinking from the lake, she poked her tongue out of the side of her mouth has she began to draw her horse in her notebook.

" What are you drawing?" Joel asked.

" It's just a doddle, nothing special." Ellie replied.

Ellie sketched the outline of Shimmer's body, she struggled to draw the horse's legs though. When she was done she wrote Shimmer's name beneath it, she then wrote about her swimming lesson with Joel and how she planned on exploring that Summer Camp on the other side of the lake someday. Ellie put her notebook away when she was done, she told Joel that she would have another dip before they returned back to The Jackson Community.


	5. Ellie's Early Birthday Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> Does anyone know the date and month Ellie was born? The year would have been either 2018 or 2019, people have said April and others have said July or August time. I wanted to do a chapter based after Ellie's birthday gift from Joel. There's actually parts in this that are true with a woman called Esther, I thought it would be funny to put it in this chapter so Ellie could wind him up about it.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 5!

Summertime - 2034

Six weeks had passed since Joel had started teaching Ellie how to swim, he had taken her outside of The Jackson Community every Sunday since then. She had improved a lot in her swimming lessons, she had even gained the confidence to use the rope swing over the pond at the nature trail inside The Jackson Community. Dina had been giving Ellie extra swimming seasons and Cat had been giving some sketching tips to Ellie about how to draw horse's legs, she had gained herself a good group of friends. Even Jesse was fun to speak to when they worked in the crop fields, he always had gossip to tell them about the local community which he always heard from his Mother.

Sunday had now become the day where Ellie and Joel spent the whole day together, but today was going to be different. Joel had told Ellie that they weren't going outside of The Jackson Community today, he had a early birthday surprise he wanted to show her. It normally ended up in Ellie playing the guessing game with him, she played the guessing game while they ate breakfast and she had guessed it all wrong so far. Joel had told her that she wouldn't guess it right since it wasn't about dinosaurs or movie nights, he told her it was something she would find useful in the future.

Ellie was sitting on the chair on the back porch, she had spent the day with Joel has normal. They had been to visit Maria and Tommy, then they had gone for lunch at the Tipsy Bison Bar. It had been a good day so far, but now Joel was going to show Ellie her early birthday surprise. It was getting dark, but the night was warm and the moon was full tonight. The stars were beginning to come out, she looked up at the sky and smiled to herself. Joel had found her a telescope on one of his patrols, she was thrilled when he had given it to her. She had been learning about the constellations and searching for spaceships, Joel had joked about her being beamed up at some point by the extraterrestrials. But she didn't care, she wanted to visit Space someday.

" Hurry up Joel..." Ellie muttered.

Ellie had been waiting for Joel for over ten minutes now, she was about to go and see what he was doing until he reappeared with a blind fold. Joel told her she needed to put the blind fold on first, she didn't argue with him since he seemed to be in a really good mood. He covered Ellie's eyes up with the blind fold and carefully tied it, she told him to be careful with her hair since she was trying to grow it a few more inches before Maria cut it for her.

" This better not be a trick." Ellie said.

" You know I wouldn't trick you, I swear it's a good surprise." Joel replied.

" I know where you live old man, just remember that." Ellie said.

" Alright, are you ready?" Joel asked.

Ellie nodded her head while she was lead forward by Joel, she had no idea what was going on but she was secretly excited about it deep down inside. Joel guided her down the back porches steps and told her to keep on walking, she then heard a door open when he told her to stop. Joel guided her forward and she held hands out in front of her while she walked just in case she bumped into anything that was breakable, he stopped her after a few steps. She heard the room's door close and everything went quiet, he then told her to keep her blind fold on until he told her to remove it.

" Where are we?" Ellie asked.

" You're see, just keep your blind fold on." Joel replied.

" Okay." Ellie sighed.

Ellie could hear a tickling sound of a clock and she could smell sawdust, she then heard Joel's heavy footsteps walking across the room. She heard a switch flick and a chair move, Joel then told her to remove the blind fold. She licked her lips before she pulled the blind fold away from her eyes, she covered up her mouth with her hands and quickly stomped her feet on the floor with excitement. There was a banner above a desk with the words " Happy Birthday Ellie!" written on it and some colourful paper chains were hanging from the ceiling, the room was lit up with fairy lights. Joel told her it was her early birthday gift, he also told her that it was about time that she had her own little space.

" Oh my god!" Ellie said. " Joel!"

They were standing in the unused garage in the backyard, but it wasn't the dirty spider riddled garage anymore. There was a bed, a television unit with a game console and a pile of video games on it. She could see a lava lamp and a couch with cushion on it, it was like a little apartment. Ellie was speechless for once, she didn't know what to say. She hurried over the desk and checked out the art supplies, she turned around on the spot to see the layout. She pointed over at the bathroom and gasped when she saw a little kitchen area, there was so much for her to see. She ran over to the couch and jumped onto it, she was excited about her new space that Joel had arranged for her in the garage.

" What do you think?" Joel asked.

" This is so fucking awesome!" Ellie replied while she sat up on the couch. " Did you do all of this?"

" I got a little bit of help from Tommy and Maria, but it was mostly me." Joel replied, he sat down next to her on the couch. " I thought it was time for you to have your own space, you know since you'll be turning sixteen soon. Some independents would do you good, I can't expect you to live with me forever."

" Are you kicking me out of the house?" Ellie asked.

" Nope, you're always welcome in my home." Joel replied with a smile. " But I need to fix the plumbing and connect the water mains to my house yet, it should be finished soon. You don't have to move in right away, that choice is down to you."

" This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Ellie said.

" Did I do good?" Joel asked.

" You did good, thank you." Ellie replied.

" You're welcome kiddo." Joel said.

" So, movie night at your place?" Ellie asked.

" That's the plan, it's your choice to choose the movie tonight." Joel replied. " Nothing too girly."

" Fuck that!" Ellie said with a smile. " I'm not a chick flick kind of girl, give me fantasy or action movies any day of the week!"

" Alright, we've got a deal." Joel smiled.

Ellie smiled at Joel and playfully hit his arm with a cushion, Joel told her he would give her some time to look around her new place while he went to tidy up the kitchen. Ellie told him she wouldn't be long has he left the garage, she got up from the couch and checked out the rest of her new room. It was like an apartment, it was just the right size for her and when she had moved all of her stuff into the garage it would be more homely. After a while Ellie left her garage apartment and headed back to Joel's house, it was now pitch black outside. She used the back door of the house and closed the door behind her, she could hear Joel putting some plates away in the kitchen. She took her sneakers off and placed them on the shoe rack, she then heard Joel call her name from the kitchen.

" Is that you Ellie?" Joel asked.

" Yeah its me, who were you expecting?" Ellie replied, she smirked slightly to herself. " Esther by any chance?"

" Hey! Have you been talking to Tommy?" Joel asked.

" Yep, he told me about the matchmaking thing." Ellie replied with a chuckle. " She seems alright from what Tommy told me, you could do with the company... you know since you're getting old."

" Tommy shouldn't be discussing stuff like that with you..." Joel said.

" We're all grownups here Joel, I heard she's got a great sense of humour!" Ellie said.

Ellie giggled when she heard Joel grumbling from the kitchen, he really didn't like Tommy trying to pair him off with women in the community. She walked to the kitchen and put the dish of the leftover tomato sauce spaghetti into the fridge, Maria had made them something for their dinner tonight. Joel was drying the dishes by the sink, he told Ellie to wipe down the kitchen counters and grab the tin of sugar cookies from the cupboard for movie night. She did what he asked and did a quick clean down of the kitchen counters before she took the tin of sugar cookies from the cupboard, she then walked to the living room. She loved watching movies with Joel even though he liked all the cheesy 80s movies, but they were so cool. He liked action movies mostly, his taste in movies had rubbed off on Ellie now since she enjoyed watching them too.

Placing the tin of sugar cookies down on the coffee table she headed over to the bookcase, she ran her finger tip along the DVD collection until she saw one movie she had been dying to see for ages since she had borrowed the copy from Cat. She took the DVD from the bookcase's shelf has Joel walked into the living room, she showed him the case while she climbed over the back of the couch and sat down next to him. The couch bounced slightly which caused Joel to knocked some of the popcorn onto Ellie's lap, she quickly picked it up and stuffed it into her mouth. She hated wasting food, when she had first arrived in Jackson she use to hoard beef jerky in her pockets and gorge herself with food until she was ready to explode.

" Hey Joel, have you seen E.T before?" Ellie asked.

" Yeah, more than once." Joel replied.

" I borrowed it from Cat, she said I would like it since it's about little green men and space related stuff." Ellie said.

" It's been a while since I've watched it, but kids loved it back in the day." Joel said.

" You're so old Joel." Ellie smiled.

" Don't I know it." Joel chuckled.

Joel told Ellie to put the movie on while he closed the curtains since it was getting late, she did what he asked while he closed the living room's curtains. They always watched movies when it was dark, it felt like they were at the cinema. They had visited The Jackson Community's cinema more than once since they had settled down in the community, they always showed horror movies on Friday nights and sometimes they had kid movies on in the daytime. They both settled down on the couch and tucked into their flavourless popcorn, the movie soon began. It was moments like these that Ellie would treasure someday, she just didn't know it yet.


	6. Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> I'm going to start this chapter after The Birthday Gift, I wanted to explore more into what happened after they left the museum and if the atmosphere was different when they camped out that before they returned back to The Jackson Community. Also I had an idea for a fanfiction with an oc character, so I thought I would involve her in this story to see what people think of her. I'm unsure if it will be a romance since I would like to see Joel happy, it's work in progress.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 6!

The second birthday gift Joel had given to Ellie had topped her new garage apartment, she couldn't believe he had taken her to a Dinosaur Exhibit. She wasn't expecting anything like this to have survived the apocalyptic world, it was the best day ever. She had jumped from the big model Tyrannosaurus into the pool of water below it, Joel hadn't been too pleased about that little dive bomb incident even though Ellie thought it was cool. They had explored the exhibition together, Ellie played a silly game by putting hats on dinosaur's heads and she even got the chance to make fun of Joel because he was old. Joel showed off a little bit with some dinosaur knowledge from some movie he had seen decades ago. Ellie wanted to see that movie when they returned to Jackson, but other than that she enjoyed seeing the old dinosaur skeletons and the other artifacts that were still at the museum.

The part that Ellie enjoyed the most was The Space Exhibit, it blew her mind. She could hardly contain her excitement when she got a glimpse of the rotating solar system, Joel had outdone himself. Especially with the Space Shuttle and the cassette tape recording of the Apollo 11 blasting off, she loved how he had written happy birthday on the cassette tape with love Joel written after it. They had left the Space Exhibition through a side door and discovered another part of the museum, they had to dive bomb from a great height to reach it. Ellie had gotten into the building with a leg up from Joel, but the main entrance was blocked inside the building. She had no choice but the venture on alone while Joel searched for a way in from the outside, the building was dark and creepy.

It turned out to be a Natural History Center, there were stuffed Mooses, Owls and Wolves. She used her torch to light her way through the building, but she soon heard a crashing sound and some weird noises coming from around the abandoned museum, it didn't sound human. She didn't have many bullets for her pistol, but she had managed to find some supplies to make an alcohol bottle bomb. She had seen messages written on the walls in different parts of the museum and found a human skeleton, the person had gone mad from what she had read in a letter the person must have wrote before he had killed himself.

The building seemed to get more darker has Ellie ventured forward, she heard the weird sounds once again. She stumbled upon a pack of stuffed Wolves which scared the shit out of her, their eyes shone when her torch made contact with them. She took a deep breath before she jumped over a wall, but without warning she was knocked to the floor by some unknown beast. She managed to get a glimpse of it, it looked like a Wild Boar. She got to her feet and stumbled forward, that's when she saw a familiar symbol painted on the wall.

Ellie stared at the Fireflies symbol on the wall, it seemed like whoever had painted it here in this unexplored part of the museum had a grudge against them or they knew something she didn't know. She felt the happiness she had felt earlier draining from her body, her stomach felt unsettled and she just wanted to get out of here. She heard Joel banging against the door, it wasn't long until the doors flew open and Joel barged into the room. He hurried over to Ellie and asked her if she was okay, but he soon went silent when he saw the Fireflies symbol of the wall. He told Ellie they should leave this place and setup camp before it got dark, she wasn't going to argue with him after what she had just seen.

They left the Natural History Center and made there way back to where they had left their horses, Ellie packed up her guitar before she mounted Shimmer. She remained quiet has she rode behind Joel, her mind was full of questions and thoughts about the word lair written beneath the Fireflies symbol. She had no idea what it meant, all she knew about the Fireflies was what she had been told by Marlene and Riley. Even Joel had told her they were studying to find the cure and that there was dozens of immune people out there, the Fireflies couldn't be lairs since they were trying to find a cure for humanity.

They kept on going until they reached an abandoned town not that far from The Jackson Community, the streets were overgrown with plants and most of the buildings were falling apart. It was getting dark now, they needed to get off the streets in case any unwanted company was lurking in this town. Joel told Ellie that there was a garage in this town that they used to shelter in when they were out on patrols, he had stayed there more than once with Tommy. Ellie hadn't been out on patrols yet, she had been helping in the crop fields and also Maria had been showing her how to pair the outer walls of the community. But she was hoping at some point to start training for patrols with Jesse, they had made a packed to be patrol buddies one day.

Joel stopped his horse outside of a building, he told Ellie this was the place has he dismounted his horse. There was a sign over the garage still, it was called Willie's Place. She sniggered to herself has she dismounted Shimmer, she found the name of the garage amusing. She told hold of Shimmer's reins and waited for Joel to open the garage's door. He unlocked the garage's door with a key and he opened it up, Joel's horse Priya walked through the doorway by herself and Ellie lead Shimmer inside the garage. It was dark inside the building, but has soon has Joel closed the garage's door he lit two oil lamps which brightened up the room just a little bit.

There was a box of supplies and some hay for the horses, Tommy had made sure that this shelter was stocked at all times. Shimmer and Priya immediately made their way over to the pile of hay, Ellie took her backpack off and leaned her guitar against the wall near a chair to keep it safe. Joel was going to cook supper tonight with the aid of his trusty camping stove, he had brought some steak sandwiches and some homemade soup for them from Jackson. Ellie was looking forward to a good meal, she was so hungry right now. She watched Joel stirring the saucepan of soup while she set out a little table for them on an overturned wooden crate, she had taken two metal camping mugs and plates from Joel's bag for their soup. It wasn't long until their supper was done, Joel carefully poured the soup into the camping mugs and Ellie unwrapped the steak sandwiches. She placed the sandwiches between them and she helped herself to one of them, Joel sat across from her at the makeshift table while he spoke to Ellie about the museum.

" So, what was your favourite part in the museum?" Joel asked.

" The Space Exhibition, it was out of this world!" Ellie replied, she smirked for a moment before she took a bite of her sandwich. " Do you want to know what the oldest dinosaur fossil was in that museum?"

" I don't know, what was the oldest dinosaur fossil in the museum?" Joel asked.

" You!" Ellie laughed.

" I walked straight into that one, huh?" Joel asked.

" You did." Ellie replied.

" Dammit..." Joel chuckled.

" But other than that the whole day was amazing, I loved every moment of it." Ellie said with a smile. " You're the best, thank you."

" You're welcome kiddo." Joel said.

They both tucked into their supper and spoke about everything they had seen today, but Ellie didn't mention anything about the Fireflies to Joel. She didn't want to ruin the mood, she planned to speak to him more about it when they returned to The Jackson Community. Ellie pulled her sandwich apart and dipped some of it into her mug of soup, she told Joel that she liked the way the soup made the steak taste. They finished their supper and Joel rolled out his sleeping bag for the night, Ellie said she would sort out the dirty plates. She cleaned the mugs out with some water and dried them with a rag, next she put the plates back into Joel's backpack. She wrapped the leftover steak sandwiches up and left them on the crate, she was about to pick up her guitar when she heard some weird sounds coming from outside the garage.

" What was that?" Ellie asked.

" I don't know, it sounds like Clickers." Joel replied.

Ellie peered through the door's window, she could see two Clickers venturing into what looked like an old abandoned Coffee Store just a few buildings down from the garage. Joel told her to get away from the window, but she hushed him and jumped when she heard some gun shots. Joel joined her side and looked through the window with her, they heard a woman's screams for help coming from the building not far away from them. Ellie went to unlock the door while she pulled her pistol from the back of her jeans, but Joel told her not to be too hasty.

" Dude, we can't just let her die!" Ellie frowned.

" Dammit Ellie, just do has I say!" Joel said.

" Fuck you!" Ellie said.

Ellie unlocked the door and opened it wide, but Joel tried to stop her by closing the door slightly. She managed to duck beneath his arm and squeeze through the gap in the doorway, she then hurried along the street towards the Coffee Store. She heard Joel yelling her name, she glanced over her shoulder while she ran and saw Joel chasing after her with his shotgun. She heard another gun shot being fired has she entered the store, she found a Clicker's lifeless body hanging through a dividing window and the doorway to the kitchen was hanging off it's hinges. Ellie switched her torch on and slowly walked towards the doorway, she heard a woman calling for help again.

There a lot of noise coming from the kitchen, Ellie hurried through the doorway and saw a Clicker attacking a woman. She aimed her pistol towards the Clicker and fired five shots at it, it fell dead at the woman's feet. Joel entered the kitchen and aimed his shotgun at the woman, but he lowered it when he saw that she was unarmed. Joel spoke to the woman and told her that she was safe now, he then asked her if she had been bitten. The woman told him no while Joel slowly approached her, he then told Ellie to help him when the woman told them that was stuck on something. Ellie watched Joel wrapped his arms around the woman's waist, he tried to pull her away from the wall but she screamed out in pain.

" What the fuck did you just do Joel?!" Ellie asked.

" She stuck on something, help me out..." Joel replied.

Ellie hurried over to the woman and tucked her pistol into the back of her jeans, she moved her hand behind the woman's back while she shone her torch behind her. She ran her hand over the woman's shoulder, she could see something metal digging onto the top of woman's right shoulder. Something warm was tickling down her back, it seemed like the wound was bleeding quite badly. She told Joel that a thin metal pipe must have pierced the woman's back when the Clicker had attacked her, they were going to have to be careful pulling her off the pipe.

" What's your name?" Joel asked.

" Lucy..." The woman replied.

" I'm Joel and this is Ellie, we'll get you out of here." Joel said.

Joel supported Lucy while he spoke to her, he explained to her that they were going to have to pull her off the pipe to free her. Lucy seemed hesitant to answer Joel at first, but she soon nodded her head at him and agreed to allow him to do what he had to do to free her. Ellie wiped her bloody hand on the back of her jeans, she felt sorry for Lucy. Joel was telling her to breath through her nose and exile threw her mouth, he wanted her to take deep breaths. Ellie told her to breath like she was taking a bad shit, Joel told Ellie that she wasn't helping.

" I'm not going to lie, this is going to hurt." Joel said.

" I know..." Lucy said.

" Good to know we're on the same wavelength." Joel said while he beckoned Ellie to move the Clicker. " Just brace yourself, that's all I'm going to say."

Ellie grabbed hold of the Clicker's legs and pulled it away from Lucy while Joel helped her take her backpack off, he placed it on the floor near the counter. Ellie soon returned and watched Joel cup his arms underneath Lucy's arms, he was going to have to yank her off the pipe. Ellie winced has Joel pulled Lucy from the metal pipe, she scream out in pain before she collapsed onto him. He told Ellie to grab Lucy's backpack while he scooped her up into his arms, they needed to get out of here in case anyone heard them. She did what he asked, she grabbed the backpack and picked a pistol up from the floor has she followed after Joel.

They hurried out the Coffee Store and headed back towards the garage, Ellie kept her guard up just in case there was anymore Infected in the neighbourhood. She opened the garage's door for them when they got to the shelter, Joel carried Lucy inside and Ellie locked the door behind them. Joel laid Lucy down on his sleeping bad, he told Ellie to get his medical kit from Priya's satchel. She placed Lucy's backpack and pistol by a chair, she then hurried to get the medical kit. She patted Priya's neck before she got what Joel needed from the satchel, Shimmer nudge Ellie's shoulder to try and get some attention from her owner. She itched behind Shimmer's ear before she hurried over to Joel, she gave him the box and knelt on the other side of Lucy.

" Do you see any bite marks?" Ellie asked.

" Nope, she's clean." Joel replied.

" Will she be okay?" Ellie asked.

" Maybe, her wound doesn't seem too deep." Joel replied.

Ellie chewed at her bottom lip has she watched Joel removing Lucy's checked shirt before he checked her wound, he seemed to know what he was doing. He rolled Lucy onto her left side and put pressure on the wound, he asked Ellie to get Lucy something to drink. She grabbed Joel's water bottle and told Lucy to take little sips of water, she even feed Lucy some of their leftover sandwiches. Ellie spoke to Lucy about anything while Joel began to stitch up her wound, she found out that Lucy's favourite colour was yellow and she loved apples. After a while Lucy had passed out, the woman was dreadful pale with dark circles underneath her eyes.

" I've got this, why don't you go and get some sleep." Joel said.

" Okay, just wake me if you need any help." Ellie said.

Ellie left Joel to clean and dress Lucy's wound, she rolled out her sleeping bag before she grabbed Lucy's backpack. She unzipped the bag and rummaged through Lucy's belongings, she was checking the contents of the bag just in case this unknown woman was sinister. There wasn't much in her backpack, some folded up clothes and a can of beans. A box of bullets, some women's products and some energy bars. She did stumble across a small photo album and a driving licence, it had expired back in 2015. Ellie looked over at Lucy and watched Joel dressing her wound, the woman must have been living rough for years by the looks of it.

Taking the photo album from the backpack Ellie couldn't help but have a quick look through it, there was loads of pictures of Lucy with a blonde haired girl. She checked out the birth date on the driving licence, Lucy had been born in July 1991. That made her around forty-two years old, she was pretty old like Joel. Ellie was surprised to find out that Lucy was born in Boston, she was from the same city where Ellie had been born.

Ellie continued to look through the photo album, Lucy must have been in her early twenties when the apocalyptic times had began. Lucy had long brown hair, she was tall with blue eyes and a curvy figure. Lucy was quite pretty in some of the pictures, they looked like holiday snaps. There was a sign saying Rhode Island in one of the pictures, it looked like a beautiful place to visit before the world changed. The blonde haired girl must have been her friend or maybe her Sister since there was written messages underneath some of the pictures, it made Ellie wonder what had happened to Lucy's female companion.

" What are you looking at?" Joel asked, he sat down next to Ellie. " Anything interesting?"

" Just some pictures from Lucy's backpack, she's was born in Boston like me." Ellie said, she showed him Lucy's driving licence. " She's a few years younger than you, not like dinosaur old but it seems like she's getting there."

" Hey, enough with the old jokes." Joel smiled.

" They're never going to stop, you know because they're funny." Ellie said.

Joel shook his head at Ellie, she just gave him a smile and continued to look through the photo album. Joel pointed out that he had visited Rhode Island with Tommy and his parents when he was young, it had been a family vacation. Ellie had never been on a vacation before, she often wondered what it would be like to swim in the ocean and lounge on the beach while sipping fruity cocktails. She turned a page in the photo album and covered up one of the pictures with her hand, she told Joel that he may have an heart attack if he saw some bikini clad babes. He rolled his eyes at her, but he told her he needed to speak with her about what happened earlier. Ellie had scared Joel when she had ran off to rescue Lucy, he didn't want anything to happen to Ellie since she was like a Daughter to him.

" Ellie we need to talk about what you did, it was reckless." Joel said.

" I couldn't just let her die, we're meant to be helping people..." Ellie said while she looked over at Lucy. " She seems nice enough, we should take her back to Jackson with us. Tommy and Maria will find a place for her to stay, she may also need medical care."

" You're right, but running off like that... you had me worried kiddo." Joel said.

Ellie sighed to herself and closed the photo album, she knew what she had done was reckless but Joel sometimes treated her like a child. She told Joel that she was sorry and that it wouldn't happen again, Joel told her to forget about it since she was safe. They sat together in silence before Ellie began to put everything that she had taken from Lucy's backpack back into it, Joel told Ellie that he would take the first watch while she got some sleep. She told him okay while she zipped the backpack up, she lay down on her sleeping bag and put her hands behind her head while she looked up at the ceiling. She wasn't tired yet, but she closed her eyes anyway and listened to the horses chewing at their hay until she dozed off.


	7. The Surprise Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at The Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> Buckley was the dog from the Jackson Dam and he was in the TLOU2 too, the old timer needed to have a moment with Ellie because he's a good doggo. I wanted to do something different in this chapter, I thought I could start covering Joel's guitar lessons with Ellie.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> \- Lone Pilgrim by Crooked Still
> 
> \- Behind Blue Eyes by The Who
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 7!

Ellie and Joel had arrived at The Jackson Community two hours after dawn, they had brought Lucy back with them. She had a fever when she had woken in the night, Joel had checked her over again for bite marks but she was still clean. Joel had decided that they should leave the garage at first light just in case Lucy had an infection due to her injury, she may need antibiotics. They had left Lucy with Maria, she told them she would take her to the medical center and get her settled into the community.

Leaving their horses with the stable hands they began their walk back home, the day was still young has Joel always put it. Everyone was carrying on with their morning chores, the stores were opening and a group of children were making their way to the school. The community was bustling with life, it was just another beautiful day in Jackson. Ellie could smell freshly made bread coming from the bakery, her stomach rumbled at the thoughts of toasted bread and homemade strawberry jam. Joel told Ellie to wait for him outside of the Tipsy Bison Bar while he nipped in for a moment, she sat down on the steps of the bar's porch and waited for him. She smiled when a dog approached her, she fussed over him and gave him a itch behind his ear.

" Hey Buckley, who's a good boy?" Ellie asked.

The dog wagged his tail while she itched behind his right ear, he was a sweet dog with a beautiful black and white coat. Joel had once told Ellie that Buckley was a Border Collie, he had seen him hanging around the Jackson Dam a few years back when they went to visit Tommy. He was meant to be the guard dog there, but he was a big softy and no guard dog due to his sweet nature. She fussed over her four legged friend until Joel reappeared, he walked down the steps and beckoned Ellie to follow him.

" C'mon kiddo, let's get moving." Joel said.

" Okay." Ellie said, she patted the dog's head before she got up from the step. " See you later boy."

Ellie followed after Joel and asked him what he had been doing in the Tipsy Bison Bar, he told her that he was just looking for Tommy because he wanted to ask him a favour. They kept on walking until they reached Joel's house, Ellie hurried upstairs to her bedroom and hung her backpack over the back of her desk's chair. She had a quick wash and changed into some clean clothes, she heard Joel calling for her from downstairs while she pulled her shirt over her head.

" Ellie, will come downstairs for a moment!" Joel yelled.

" Give me a moment, I'm just getting changed!" Ellie said.

Ellie tied her hair up into a ponytail has she left her bedroom, she hurried downstairs and entered the kitchen through the Dining Room. She stopped dead in the doorway and stared at a strawberry cream cake on the kitchen counter, she could see some blue coloured candles on it. Joel was resting his hands on the counter, he smiled at Ellie and told her that this was another Birthday gift for her. She hurried into the kitchen and looked at the cake, she tasted some of the whipped cream from the cake with her finger tip. It tasted so good, she went to steal a sliced strawberry next but Joel stopped her and told her to save some for the rest of them.

" Holy shit, I've got a Birthday cake!" Ellie smiled.

" You deserve one kiddo, you can't have a Birthday party without a cake." Joel said.

" Hold on one second, I'm having a Birthday party?!" Ellie asked.

" Yep, I arranged it with Tommy before we left Jackson." Joel replied.

" Dude, this is so fucking awesome!" Ellie said while she approached Joel. " Who did you invite?"

" Dina, Jesse, Cat, Tommy and Maria." Joel replied.

Joel told Ellie that Maria and Tommy would be bringing some food over at lunch time, he said the party would be starting around 1pm. They had three hours to choose some music and decorate the Dining Room with paper chains, they had plenty of time since it was only 10am. Joel helped Ellie with some of the party decorations, he soon left her to finish the job since he had to collect some fruit drink from Seth at the Tipsy Bison Bar. Ellie soon finished decorating the Dining Room, it look pretty good if you didn't count the paper chain draped over the light fitting above the table. Next she chose some vinyls from her personal collection in her bedroom, she was in the mood for something retro. Pearl Jam, The Cure and The Smiths. She had so many records, Joel had found them for her in a music store outside of the community. She took a pile of them downstairs to the living room and placed them on the coffee table, she put a random record on.

Music blared from the record player's speakers, she heard a knock at the front door and she hurried to answer it. She opened the door wide, Tommy and Maria were here with the food. They had brought meat pies, steak sandwiches, baked potatoes and an array of sliced fruits. Ellie helped them to carry the food to the Dining Room, she placed a bowl of baked potatoes on the table and Maria went to the kitchen to get some plates. Tommy playfully hit Ellie on the top of her head with present he had gotten her before he held it towards her, it was wrapped in blue paper with a name tag on it.

" This is for the birthday girl, I hope you like it." Tommy said.

" Thank you, can I open it now?" Ellie asked.

" I don't see why not." Tommy replied.

Ellie gave Tommy a smile before she ripped the paper away from the present, she was surprised to see a book. She read the book's title out loud, it was called The Call Of The Wild. She had no idea what it was about but she couldn't wait to start reading it, Maria told Ellie that she had loved that book when she was a little girl. Tommy told Ellie that it was about a dog named Buck, she couldn't help but mention Buckley the old useless guard dog of the Jackson Dam which earned her a chuckle from Tommy. There was no pictures in the book, but Ellie didn't mind since she could sketch the screens out in her notebook.

" I'll start reading it later, this is so fucking cool!" Ellie said.

" We're glad you like it." Maria said.

Ellie placed the book on the drinks cabinet and help Maria set the table, she placed her Birthday cake in the middle of the table for the center piece. It wasn't long until Joel returned with a crate of bottles, there were fruit drinks and some ale in the box. Ellie showed Joel the book Tommy and Maria had gotten her for her Birthday, he told Ellie that it was an excellent read. It was long until Ellie's friends began to turn up for her surprise party, she greeted them one by one. Cat had turned up first, then Jesse and Dina turned up together.

They all gathered in the Dining Room while Joel lit the candles on the cake, Ellie felt herself blushing badly has they sang Happy Birthday to her. She covered up her face and peeped through the gaps between her fingers while Dina placed a colourful paper crown on her head, this was so embarrassing for her. She blew out the candles on the cake and made a wish, she had wished for some roller skates. She always wanted to own a pair of roller stakes, she had seen a movie once where some teenagers were roller skating in a Roller Ring.

" Present time!" Tommy said.

" Shouldn't we eat first?" Ellie asked.

" It's traditional, well it was when we were kids." Tommy replied.

" Okay, who's first?" Ellie asked.

" Oh me! Happy Birthday Ellie!" Cat said, she handed her an unwrapped box of pencils. " I thought you could do with some new ones, you know since you chewed the tops of your pencils."

Ellie thanked Cat and placed them on the table, she was getting a small pile of presents now. Jesse had brought her a tin of sugar cookies, his Mother had made them especially for Ellie's Birthday. Dina had given Ellie two stretching books and some beef jerky, she had also brought her the paper crown she has made at the abandoned Summer Camp they had visited a few weeks back when they had sneaked out of community. Maria had brought her a green hoody, it fitted her perfectly. Joel told Ellie he was still working on another present for her, it should be ready in a day or two.

They all sat around the table together and tucked into the Birthday feast, the food Maria had made for them was delicious. Joel and Tommy were drinking ale together, they told Ellie about their past Birthday parties from when they were kids. She couldn't help but laugh when Joel told Ellie about the time Tommy had cried when their Mom had arranged a clown for his fifth Birthday party, she thought it was hilarious. But Tommy on the other hand hadn't enjoy that Birthday treat, he told Ellie he had never been a fan of clowns since he had seen the movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

" It wasn't funny, it scarred me for life..." Tommy said.

" What was he called now?" Joel asked, he thought for a brief moment. " Oh yeah, Chuckles the Clown."

" Maybe he got Infected, an Infected clown." Ellie joked.

" That sounds so fucking creepy!" Cat said.

" Maybe you'll bump into him on one of your patrols with Joel, it could happen." Jesse said.

" Heaven forbid that he's still out there..." Tommy said.

" He could be waiting for you outside of the communities wall." Ellie teased.

" Okay Ellie, you're creepy me out now!" Dina said.

" Don't worry, we'll sleep with the hall's light on tonight." Maria said.

Ellie watched has Maria kissed Tommy's cheek and rubbed his back with her hand to comfort him, they were the perfect couple in her eyes. They carried on eating, laughing and dancing in the living room until it had gotten late, it was time for everyone to leave. Tommy and Maria told Joel that they would walk the kids home since it was getting late, Ellie waved them off while Joel made a start on tidying up the Dining Room. She locked the front door and joined Joel the Dining Room, she helped him carry some dirty plates into the kitchen.

" Did you enjoy your surprise party?" Joel asked.

" Yeah, it was totally awesome!" Ellie replied, she placed the dirty dishes in the sink and looked over at Joel. " You sure kept quiet about it, I guess that's why they're called surprise parties."

" You right, that's the whole point of them." Joel said.

" Are you still up for a movie night?" Ellie asked.

" Of course, just give me a moment to tidy up first." Joel replied.

Joel threw a rag at Ellie, she managed to catch it before it hit the floor. He told her to give him a hand with the tidying up, Ellie told him okay and headed back into the Dining Room. There was some leftover meat pies, she sat down on a chair and helped herself to a pie. The pies weren't hot anymore but they were juicy and seasoned to perfection. She took a bite of the pie while she watched Joel walk back into the Dining Room, he shook his head at her in amusement and continued to tidy up the Dining Room by himself while Ellie finished off some of the leftover food.

***************

Time Skip

Three Months Later -Autumn - 2034

The evening was chilly and the leaves were falling from the trees, Autumn had crept over Jackson. Ellie was having one of her many guitar lessons with Joel on the back porch, they did this every Friday evening since she moved out of the Joel's house. She still visited him when he was around or if she wasn't busy herself with the greenhouses and her field duties, but sometimes Joel was out on patrol with Tommy for more than two nights. When she had lived with Joel she use to stay up until late when he was meant to returning back to the community, she could never settle unless she knew he was safe.

Ellie licked her lips has she moved her finger tips up the guitar's cords, she rocked gently side to side while she strummed at the strings of the guitar. She had been practicing a new song she had been learning, Joel had found her some music sheets and a vinyl of Crooked Still at a Music Store near some Ski Lodges. He had told Ellie that his Daughter Sarah had been fond of this band, Ellie could see why since the band's music was pretty rocking. She took a deep breath before she began to sing, she wanted to get her vocals right for the song.

Yesterday I came to the place where Dad lay  
And pensively stood by his tomb  
When in a low whisper I heard someone say  
"how sweetly I sleep here alone"

"the tempest may howl and the loud thunder roar  
And gathering storms may arise  
But calm is my feeling at rest is my soul  
The tears are all wiped from my eyes

The cause of my master compelled me from home  
No kindred or relative nigh  
I met the contagion and sank to my tomb  
My soul flew to mansions on high

Go tell my companion and children most dear  
To weep not for me now i'm gone  
The same hand that lead me through scenes most severe  
Has kindly assisted me home"

Ellie continued to play her guitar until Joel opened the back door of his house, he had been making them some coffee. She wasn't a big fan of coffee, but she tolerated it when Joel made her a mug of the disgusting hot drink. She leaned on her guitar has Joel joined her on the porch, she watched him sit down and place the mugs on the table between them. He picked his guitar up and looked over at Ellie while he rested his guitar on his knee, he gave her a smile before he began to play Hurt by Johnny Cash on his guitar.

" You've improved a lot, have you been practicing?" Joel asked.

" Not much." Ellie replied.

" You may not anymore lessons from me at this rate, you're a fast learner." Joel said.

" I don't know about that, there's still many more songs you could teach me." Ellie replied.

" Yep, there's millions of songs out there that I can't remember anymore." Joel said.

" Is it because you're getting old?" Ellie asked.

" You could be right, but I'll teach you something special tonight." Joel replied.

" A new song, huh?" Ellie asked.

" Something like that, I'll sing it to you first before I teach you the cords." Joel replied.

" Okay." Ellie said.

Joel stopped playing for a moment while he took a sip of his coffee, he cleared his throat and told Ellie that this was one of his favourite songs when he was growing up. She remembered the time when Joel had told her that he wanted to be a singer when he was young, she never understood why he didn't try to follow his musical dreams. He wasn't the world's greatest singer, but his voice was smoothing and full of emotion. He told her that the song was called Behind Blue Eyes by The Who before he began to play his guitar, Ellie listened to him singing while she watched his fingers changing to the different cords on his guitar.

No one knows what it's like  
To be the bad man  
To be the sad man  
Behind blue eyes

No one knows what it's like  
To be hated  
To be fated  
To telling only lies

But my dreams  
They aren't as empty  
As my conscience seems to be

I have hours, only lonely  
My love is vengeance  
That's never free

Ellie couldn't help but smile at Joel, she could listen to him singing and playing his guitar for hours. The song was beautiful and sad at the same time, she couldn't wait to learn how to play the song he was singing to her. Joel soon finished the song he had been playing, Ellie gave him a round of applause and wolf whistled for his performance. Joel bowed his head at Ellie and thanked her for the applause, it would be moments like these that Ellie would remember fondly in the future.


	8. The Autumn Barn Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 8!

Autumn- October 2034

Tonight was the Autumn Barn Dance, this was something they did every year at The Jackson Community. It was a chance for people to get together and have some fun, Ellie was looking forward to seeing this traditional celebration for the harvest festival since she had never experienced anything like this before since she had moved into the community. Tommy had told her it was like Thanksgiving but it involved the end of the crop year, they also did a Halloween theme with the children at the dance. When he had mentioned Halloween she thought back to the time when she was hanging out with Riley in that Costume Store in the Mall, all those Halloween masks and costumers would have been perfect for the community.

Ellie wasn't going to get dressed up for the Autumn Barn Dance like some girls did in the community, she had showered and put some clean clothes on. She had decided to wear some jeans and a green coloured shirt, it was a simple outfit. She tied up hair into a ponytail and put her sneakers on, the evening was chilly so she had decided to wear a checked red shirt. She checked herself out in the mirror while she pushed her lips together and did a sexy pose, she looked presentable for dance.

Switching the lights off in her garage apartment Ellie left her cosy home, she closed the door behind her and hurried across the backyard towards Joel's house. He always left the back door unlocked for her in case she needed him, it was pretty safe in The Jackson Community so it was normal for people to leave their houses unlocked. She entered his house and called out his name, she heard him telling her he was the living room. She hurried to the living room and stopped in doorway, Joel was relaxing on his couch with a book. He was already dressed in his casual attire, he was just like Ellie when it came to dressing down instead of dressing up.

" Are you ready to go?" Ellie asked.

" Yep, I've been waiting for you for a while now." Joel replied while he closed his book and got up from the couch. " Let's get moving, Tommy was expecting us over an hour ago."

Ellie waited for Joel in the hallway, he grabbed his jacket from his coat peg and opened the front door for Ellie while he switched the hall's light off. Ellie hurried down the pathway and left the gate open for Joel, she was pretty excited about the Barn Dance. It wasn't long until Joel was closing the gate to his front yard, he walked down the steps and met Ellie on the sidewalk. They walked together down the street passed the cemetery, the barn the community used for dances was on the other side of the community. Most of the farming fields were located near the barn, the barn was used most of the time to store corn before it was transported to the bakery.

The evening sky was clear and the moon was bright, it was a beautiful night for a party. A gust of wind blew some colourful leaves in front them while they walked, Ellie couldn't help but crunch them beneath her sneakers. Joel spoke to Ellie about his patrol in the morning, he was going to have to leave the party early since he had to be up at 5am. Ellie was fine with that since she had to be up early too, she had been helping to fix the outer wall of the community all week. There had been an attack on the wall at the beginning of the week, some Hunters had tried to break into the community. Luckily Tommy had been returning with Joel from one of the night patrols, he had used his sniper skills to take them out.

" That's way too early, do you think I can start training soon for patrols?" Ellie asked.

" I don't see why not." Joel replied, he put his jacket on. " You already know your way around a gun, I'll speak to Tommy about it while I'm patrolling with him."

" Okay." Ellie said.

" Maybe I could take you out on a patrol, you know to ease you into it." Joel said.

" Seriously? I'm totally down with that!" Ellie said.

They carried on walking until they reached the other side of the community, it wasn't long until they saw lights outside of the barn. They could see torches burning and music was playing, the closer they got to the barn the more they could see. There were children throwing hoops at wooden sticks and pumpkin carving activities, there was even a barrel full of water with apples floating around in it. The smell of barbecued meats wafted on the breeze, there was different kinds of mouthwatering foods and desserts. Ellie stopped when she was offered a candy apple, she happily took it and took a big bite out of it while she walked with Joel towards the entrance of the barn.

" I've never seen anything like this before, they never had parties in Boston." Ellie said.

" Boston was a Quarantine Zone, it was controlled by FEDRA and the military." Joel said with a sigh. " It wasn't a place for parties, it was all check points and executions. I've seen the worse that zone had to offer, we're in a better place now."

" Yeah, don't I know it." Ellie said.

Ellie knew that Joel was right, she herself had been in the odd scrap in Boston. The Military School in Boston wasn't the greatest of places, she had hated that place and most of the people who lived there. Since she had left Boston her life had improved, she was now living in a safe place with friends and Joel. She stopped with Joel outside of the barn, he was speaking with one of the local butchers about a Stag Tommy had shot on one of their patrols. Apparently they sometimes had orders when they went out on patrols, their patrols sometimes turned into supply runs or hunts while they patrolled the area for the Infected.

Ellie waved to Dina when she noticed her not far away from them, they were playing with a few of the younger children outside of the barn. Joel told Ellie that it was okay if she wanted to join them, she told him okay and that she would meet him inside the barn later on. She hurried over to her friends, she spotted Cat sitting with her Mother on a bench near the barn's entrance. Cat waved to Ellie, she shouted to her about sketching her portrait later if she was up for it. Ellie told Cat that she was fine with it and that she would come and find her later on, she then hurried to meet Dina.

" Hey you!" Dina said.

" Hey Dina, what are you doing?" Ellie asked.

" Just judging a balancing contest, do you want to join in?" Dina asked.

" I'm fine, my balance is totally off sometimes." Ellie replied.

" Well, not everyone can be a winner like me." Jesse said.

Ellie looked over at Jesse while she finished off her candy apple, she hadn't noticed him standing on one leg with the group of young children. Some of the children were giggling and trying to knock each other over, they were trying their best not to lose their balance. Jesse was a dirty player though, he tickled one child which caused him to fall over in a fit of laughter. They were all in good spirits and enjoying the game, it seemed like they were all having fun even if Jesse was cheating. Dina nudged Ellie's arm with her elbow, she whispered to Ellie and told her that Jesse was going to lose.

" Jesse was moving, what do you think Ellie?"Dina asked.

" I definitely saw him wobble." Ellie replied.

" Ganging up on me, huh?" Jesse asked, he playfully tickled a little boy next to him " Well that's not fair, I'm like a pro at this!"

" Oh honey, I can see you moving from where I'm standing!" Dina laughed.

Dina and Jesse had started dating recently, Jesse had been sweet on Dina for sometime now. Ellie always felt like a third wheel when she was round them, she was happy that Cat was around to keep her company while those two sneaked off to eat each others faces behind the greenhouses. The balancing game carried on for a few more minutes until Ellie decided to playfully push Jesse over, he had been cheating through most of the game anyway. All the other children cheered and piled on top of Jesse for his punishment, Dina couldn't help but tickle a few of the children while she pulled them off her boyfriend.

" That's enough now, let the man breath!" Dina said.

The children all moaned and complained about Dina ruining their fun, but they soon hurried away when they started the apple bobbing competition. Ellie crossed her arms and watched Jesse get up from the ground, he hadn't been fazed by the children rough housing him. Dina helped him brush some dust from his jacket, she was laughing and making fun of him.

" That's what you get for cheating." Dina smiled.

" It's nice to know that you've got my back, what do you think Ellie?" Jesse asked.

" You had it coming." Ellie replied.

" See, she's on my side." Dina said.

" Harsh..." Jesse said while he wrapped his arm around Dina's waist and kissed the top of her head." Do you girls wanna get something to eat?"

" Sure." Dina replied.

Ellie told Jesse that she was starving, they all walked together to the barn and entered the party. Ellie opened her mouth to say something to Dina but her attention was soon drawn elsewhere, the barn was beautifully decorated with lights. There were fairy lights hanging from the ceiling and live music was playing from a makeshift stage, people were dancing together. It was magical, it was weird to see people having fun in these times. Ellie spotted Joel talking to Esther, she didn't really know the woman that well but she was happy to know that Joel had a company for his twilight years.

Dina and Jesse showed Ellie where the food tables were located, Dina handed her a plate while Jesse's Mother spoke to her Son. Ellie helped herself to some corn on the cob and spare ribs, she scooped some mashed potatoes onto her plate while Dina whispered to her about sneaking out of the community tonight with Jesse. She had invited Ellie to come with them, but she declined her offer since she didn't want to get into trouble with Tommy. She really wanted to go patrolling with Joel and Tommy next week, she was trying to behaviour herself until then.

" Come on Ellie, don't be a stick in mud." Dina said.

" Maybe next time, okay?" Ellie asked.

" I'll hold you to it." Dina replied.

Jesse's Mother asked them to come and sit with her, they all did has she asked. Jesse's Mother was a nice lady, she was kind and welcoming to everyone in the community. She mostly worked in the greenhouses, she had been growing herbs and helping out in the local Clothes Store. She was telling them about herbal remedies before Ellie excused herself from their company, she wanted to get herself an apple cider. She told them she wouldn't belong, but she ended up speaking with Maria for a while at the bar.

" A little bird told me that you want to start patrol training when you turn seventeen." Maria said.

" You've been talking to Joel, right?" Ellie asked.

" I have, but I don't see a problem with it." Maria replied with a smile." I'll give you sometime off next week from your duties, I think you could benefit with a trip outside of the community with Tommy and Joel."

" Seriously?!" Ellie asked.

" Yeah, how about next Wednesday?" Maria asked.

" Holy shit, I mean sure!" Ellie replied.

" Then it's settled, I'll arrange it with Tommy." Maria said.

" Thank you so much!" Ellie said.

" You're welcome, now go and have some fun." Maria said.

Ellie leaned back against the bar and watched Maria leave, she couldn't wait to tell Jesse about her patrol with Joel. She noticed Dina and Jesse dancing around people on the dance floor, she would have to tell them about it later. She took a sip of her apple cider while she checked out the rest of the room, she saw Cat was sitting with her Mother. Tommy and Maria were chatting with a group of people, the atmosphere of the party was electric. Everyone was having fun, especially the children since they had arranged games for them to play outside of the barn. Ellie took a sip of her drink, she kept her gaze on the dance floor before Joel joined her at the bar. He placed his drink down on the bar and itched the back of his head, he seemed nervous for some odd reason.

" Hey kiddo." Joel said.

" Hey, what's up?" Ellie asked.

" Nothing, aren't you going to dance with your friends?" Joel asked.

" Maybe later." Ellie replied, she glanced over at Esther. " How about you? Aren't you going to ask Esther to dance?"

" I'm not much of a dancer, I was born with two left feet." Joel said.

" Yeah, I've noticed." Ellie smiled.

Joel chuckled slightly before he necked his drink back, he cleared his throat and then asked Ellie if she would like to dance. Ellie was taken back by his offer, she thought for a moment and told him why not since he had asked her so nicely. She wasn't scared about dancing in public, she always thought of herself has a demon on the dance floor. She placed her drink down on the bar and walked with Joel to the middle of the dance floor, the music playing had a country rhythm to it.

" Show me what you've got old man!" Ellie smiled.

Ellie took hold of Joel's hands and awkward moved side to side with him, he really did have two left feet when it came to dancing. She moved her feet back and forth, she accidentally stepped on Joel's foot and apologized to him. He told her it was okay, he then twirled Ellie beneath his arm and relaxed a little while he swung their arms in time to the music. Ellie was beginning to enjoy herself, she had never danced with Joel before unless you count the time at her Birthday party. He had shown her a dance move they use to do in the old Batman series, he said it was called the Batusi.

" Mind my feet..." Joel smiled.

" I guess I've got two right feet, you know to match your two left feet." Ellie joked.

" You could be right." Joel chuckled before he twirled Ellie beneath his arm again. " Maria told me you're up for a patrol next week with me and Tommy. It's going to be a trial run mind you, you've gotta be careful out there. No proper patrols though until you're seventeen, think of it has a training session."

" I know, but I'm really looking forward to it. " Ellie replied.

" Me too, it's been a while since we've spent some time together." Joel said.

" Tell me about it, the community life keeps us both busy." Ellie said.

" I've been hearing good things about your duties, it seems like you've been impressing Maria." Joel said.

" What can I say? I'm green fingered when it comes to working in the greenhouse." Ellie said.

The music stopped and everyone began to clap their hands has the singer for the night began singing another song, it was something more upbeat this time. Joel asked Ellie if she fancied getting some apple pie with him, she about to say yes to him until Dina grabbed hold of her hand. She was asking Ellie to come and dance with her while she pulled at her hand, Joel told her to go and have some fun. Dina dragged Ellie away from Joel, she felt kind of guilty for leaving him standing by the bar all by himself.

" Move it girl!" Dina smiled.

" Whoa, Dina!" Ellie laughed.

Ellie was twirled around in Dina's arms, she nearly fell over but she managed to keep her balance. Dina was full of energy tonight, she twirled around on her heals and did some weird dance moves. Ellie bounced around and moved her arms at her sides, she ended up doing the twist at one point. Jesse and Cat soon joined them on the dance floor, Jesse wasn't much of a dancer but he tried his best with Dina. Cat took hold of Ellie's hands and swayed side to side with her, the Autumn Barn Dance was now in full swing.


	9. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 9!

December 2034 - Winter

The snow had been falling heavily overnight, it was freezing this morning when Ellie had awoken in her garage apartment. She had put some extra logs on her little stove fire and made sure that the windows in her room was closed before she had gone to bed, she had used all of her blankets last night to keep herself warm in bed. She had managed to get some sleep though, she had a long day ahead of her this morning. The cores she normally did in the fields were over for the winter, but has always the greenhouses needed to be tended to in the winter months and there was always something else to do in the community.

Ellie groaned has her alarm clock beeped, she hit it a few times before she sat up in her bed. She glanced at her clock and yawned loudly, it was 7am. She had to dragged herself out of bed, she wasn't a morning person. Hurrying across the room she quickly entered the bathroom and switched the shower on, she needed to warm up fast in case she caught a chill. She brushed her teeth while she held her hand underneath the shower, it was warming up now. It wasn't long until she was showered and dressed, she tied her hair up while she went to get her coat.

Ellie put her best winter jacket on, it was green and quite long with a padded inside. She put her woolly hat on and her good walking boots, it wouldn't take her long to walk to the greenhouses. The fire in the fireplace had burnt it's self out, she made sure everything was switched off before she left her home. The freezing air hit her face like a smacked backside, it was bitterly cold this morning. The sky was full of snow still, she yawned loudly and stretched her hands above her head. She was hoping for the morning to go by quickly, she wanted to finish her a portrait she had been working on for Joel's Christmas present.

" Morning kiddo." Joel said.

" Holy shit, Joel!" Ellie said with a smile. " You scared the shit out of me!"

Joel's voice had startled Ellie, she hadn't noticed him collecting fire wood from the stack they kept in the backyard. She put her gloves on has she joined him on the other side of the yard, he must have returned from his patrol with Tommy early this morning. The winter patrols were always the hardest so she had been told by Joel, it was sometimes hard to spot the Infected since they were either frozen in the snow or they jumped out at you from the snow while you were walking. Ellie hadn't ventured outside of the community yet in the winter months, but she knew at some point when she began taking up patrols she would be exploring lands beyond the safety of her garage apartment.

" Hey, do you need any help?" Ellie asked.

" I'm good." Joel replied.

" Are you sure?" Ellie asked.

" I've got this, I'm not over the hill just yet." Joel replied.

" Cool, I'll see you around." Ellie said.

Ellie gave him a smile before she turned around to leave but she stopped when Joel said her name, she looked at him over her shoulder and he asked her if she wanted to help decorate the Christmas Tree tonight. Ellie had never decorated a Christmas Tree before or celebrated Christmas in a normal and safe environment, this was going to her first proper Christmas where she had a home. She nodded her head at him and told him that it was a date, he told her to drop around about 6pm since that's when Tommy was dropping the tree off at the house.

" I'll see you later, kiddio." Joel said.

" Likewise old man." Ellie smiled.

Ellie left the backyard through the fence's gateway, it was lucky for her that she didn't live that far from the greenhouses. She was greeted by a few people has she walked passed them, it seemed like everyone was in a joyful mood even though the snow was still falling heavy. She stopped outside of the greenhouse she would be working in for the day, she quickly opened the door and stepped inside to the warmth of the greenhouse. She took her coat off and hung it on a coat peg, it was much warmer inside the greenhouse than outside in the snow. Cat was already planting some new lettuce seeds, Ellie enjoyed gardening with Cat.

Cat was a fun girl to be around, she was talented when it came to art and she was really good at video games. She had dark short hair and brown eyes, she wasn't has tall has Ellie though. She was slim and they shared the same dress style, she had quickly become Ellie's clothes shopping buddy at the local Clothes Store. Cat made eye contact with Ellie, she gave her smile while she opened a packet of seeds.

" Hey Ellie." Cat said.

" Hey." Ellie said while she picked the watering can up from the ground." No Dina or Jesse yet?"

" Nope, they're going to be late has always." Cat replied.

" I'll pretend I'm surprised then." Ellie said.

"You goof, come and help me with these plants." Cat smiled.

Ellie did a silly surprise face which earned a giggle from Cat, she always seemed to be on her wavelength when it came to being silly. She walked down the pathway between the plant beds, she filled the water can up and started to water some tomato plants. Cat asked Ellie if she had anymore ideas yet about their tattoos designs, she told Cat that she hadn't had time to think about it. Ellie had been trying to avoid the tattoo subject, she always wore long sleeved tops or her hoody so no one would see her bite mark on her arm. She was going to try and get rid of the bite mark at some point, she had stolen some watered down acid from the chemical hunt in the community.

Cat had been discussing tattoos lately with Ellie, she had been designing a tattoo for herself and Ellie. She had brought it up with Joel, he told her he was fine about it has long has she was careful. Ellie continued to water the plants until she got closer to Cat, she placed the watering can down next to the pile of plant pots and sat down next to her friend. She began filling one of the plant pots for Cat, she wanted to finish early too because she was going to be making soup with her Mother for some of the elderly residence of the community.

" So, what are you doing tonight?" Cat asked.

" Not much, I'm going to help Joel decorate a Christmas Tree later." Ellie replied.

" That sounds neat." Cat said.

" Yeah, it's my first time decorating one." Ellie said.

" Oh, so you're one of those then?" Cat asked.

" One of what?" Ellie asked.

" A Christmas Tree virgin..." Cat replied.

" Fuck you!" Ellie laughed.

" Only if you ask nicely." Cat joked.

Ellie playfully punched Cat's arm and threw some soil at her with the little gardening trowel she was using, Cat loved winding Ellie up sometimes. They continued working together until Dina turned up with Jesse, they we're over an hour late has usual. They hung their coats up and joined Ellie, Cat had gone to collect some more compost from the back on the greenhouse. Dina filled up another watering can while Jesse sat down next to Ellie, he began potting up some plant pots with her.

" Hey Ellie, has Maria dropped by yet?" Jesse asked.

" Nope, not yet." Ellie replied.

" You guys always play it dangerously, you'll get caught at some point." Cat said, she returned with a bag of compost. " Luckily we always cover for you guys, you owe us one."

" When you both start dating boys we've got your backs." Dina said.

" Who says I want a boy?" Cat asked.

" Or girls, I'm down with that..." Jesse replied.

" Maybe she wants a man and not a boy." Dina said.

" That's going to be hard since you've got the only real man in The Jackson Community." Jesse joked.

" You're so full of yourself, dork!" Cat smiled.

" I'm glad I'm not the only one who's noticed that around here." Dina laughed.

" I'm being ganged up on, that's great..." Jesse said.

Ellie smiled at her friends, she loved how they teased each other while they worked together. Ellie began to fill another plant pot up, but without any warning she felt someone throw some soil at her. She swore and shook the soil from her hair, she heard Cat laughing at her. She immediately threw some soil back at her, the soil hit Cat in the face and she ended up dropping the bag of soil on the ground. Dina couldn't hold her laughter anymore, she went to get the broom while Jesse continued to pot the lettuce seeds.

" Dude!" Ellie sighed.

" Lighten up, that was for earlier." Cat said.

" Lighten up?" Ellie asked, she got up from the ground and pointed her trowel at the mess. " Maria is going to kill us if she see's this mess!"

" Relax Ellie, we've got this." Dina replied.

Dina gave Cat the broom, she told her to clean up the mess before Ellie's head explodes. Luckily for them Maria didn't call on them until the end of their shift in the greenhouse, they had time to sweep all the soil up and pot all of the lettuce seeds. Ellie put her coat on and prepared herself for her walk home, Dina and Jesse had already gone. Cat volunteered to put the gardening equipment away, she told Ellie that she would see her tomorrow.

***************

Later That Evening.

Ellie returned to her garage apartment and got changed into some clean clothes after her shower, she had felt dirty after that soil fight with Cat. She left her home wearing her winter coat and walked across the backyard to Joel's house, she could see the light shining from the kitchen's window. The snow was getting pretty thick, she kicked some snow across the backyard before she hurried up the back porches steps. The back door was unlocked has always, Joel always left it unlocked in case Ellie needed anything throughout the night like more blankets or food.

Closing the door behind her Ellie knocked the snow from her boots on the doormat, she took them off before she hurried through the hallway. She could smell freshly brewed coffee wafting from the kitchen, she hated the smell of it. Joel had an addiction to coffee which Ellie was trying to ween him off since it kept him awake at night, she wanted him to get more sleep and rest between his patrols. She glanced at him in the living room while she put her boots on the shoe rack, he was sitting in his favourite arm chair with a book and a mug of hot coffee. She hung her coat up and entered the living room, the Christmas Tree had already arrived.

" Hey kiddio." Joel said.

" Hey, how was your day?" Ellie asked.

" Restful." Joel replied before he took a sip of his coffee. " How about you?"

" The same has always." Ellie replied. " So, this is the tree huh?"

" Yep." Joel replied.

Ellie approached the tree and touched one of it's branches, the scent of pine filled the room. It had to be about six feet tall, it's branches were thick and full of pine needles. She had never had a fresh Christmas Tree before, she remembered having a little plastic tree with gold and red baubles hanging from it's branches. She use to make a paper toilet roll fairy to sit on the top of it, she always liked making them when she was young.

" I thought it was going to be taller, but it looks good." Ellie replied.

" It's better than the plastic tree me and Tommy had when we were kids." Joel said.

" We had a plastic Christmas Tree at Military School in Boston, but this is way better." Ellie said.

Joel got up from the couch and picked a box up from the coffee table, he walked over to Ellie while he opened the lid on the box. He told her that he had a few baubles for the tree, she peered into the box and took a silver bauble from it. It was round and shinny, she could see a few cracks on it. She hung the bauble on the tree and rested her hands on her hips, she was admiring the bauble on the branch.

" What do you think?" Ellie asked.

" It looks good, but it may need a friend." Joel replied.

Joel took another bauble from the box, it was a gold coloured bauble. He hung it on a branch near the bottom of the tree and told Ellie to pick another one from the box, she chose a green bauble from the box this time. Each bauble was a different colour, they were in good condition and she could see faded pictures of stars on some of them. There wasn't any tinsel which was a little a bit disappointing for Ellie, she hadn't seen any since she was kid. When they had finished Joel told her he had a star for the top of the tree, he went to get it from upstairs while Ellie relaxed on the couch with some star shaped Christmas cookies Maria had made for them.

It wasn't long until Joel returned with the star, Ellie sat up on the couch and suffered the rest of her cookie into her mouth. The star was gold with sliver tips, it looked like something you would see in a story books. Joel sat down on the arm of the couch, he looked over at Ellie and told her that this star was actually from his old home back in Texas. Tommy had returned back to where they use to live years ago after the infection had taken hold of the country, he had taken some of their personally belonging and pictures from their once home. He went onto tell her that Sarah had chosen it from a Christmas Stall at a festival, she had begged him to buy it for her.

" Sarah always managed to get her own way in the end, she got it from Tommy." Joel said.

" Oh I don't know about that, you know since Maria is the boss of Tommy." Ellie smiled.

" You could be right, he's been hen pecked since then." Joel said.

" I called it!" Ellie laughed.

Joel smiled at Ellie and crossed his arms, he told her that Tommy was the same when he was a kid. Sarah use to spend a lot of time with Tommy when he was working, but after his Brother got a job at his workplace Sarah use to spend a lot of time at home when she wasn't at school. He went onto tell Ellie that Sarah had idolized her Uncle Tommy when she was growing up, she use to play football with him and help him with the cooking. Ellie liked listening to Joel talking about his Daughter, she loved hearing about Sarah and the normal times before everything got crazy.

" So kiddio, do you want the honours?" Joel asked.

" The honours?" Ellie asked.

" Do you want to put the star on the top of the tree?" Joel asked.

" Fuck yeah!" Ellie replied.

Ellie jumped up from the couch and headed over to the tree, Joel wasn't that far behind her. He gave her the star and chuckled when she tried to jumped to reach the top of the tree, she was struggling. She was about to get a stool before Joel offered to give her a lift up, she couldn't refuse his kind offer. He rested his hands on her hips, Ellie bounced a few times and made rocket ship sounds while she raised her hand into the air with the star held tightly in it.

" Be careful, I don't want you to break anything." Ellie said.

" I can manage." Joel said.

" We have lift off!" Ellie smiled.

Joel lifted Ellie up by her waist, she reached towards the top of the Christmas Tree. She carefully placed the star on the top of the tree, it looked a little wonky though. Joel placed her back down on her feet, he then admired the tree they had decorated together. There was no lights on it yet, they could easily get some from the supply store in the community before Christmas Eve. They stood in silence for a moment before Joel asked Ellie if she would like to stay for dinner, but she told him she was too tired to eat anything right now. What she really wanted to do was get back home and finish her portrait of Joel off before Christmas Eve, there about a week left until then.

" Maybe tomorrow, okay?" Ellie asked.

" Sure thing." Joel replied.

" I could kill for a mug of hot milk though, you know to go with those Christmas cookies." Ellie said.

" You got it." Joel smiled.

Joel went to get Ellie a hot milk, she sat back down on the couch and helped herself to another cookie. She felt bad blowing Joel off again for dinner, but she had things to do and sleep to catch up on. They had gone patrolling together with Tommy a few weeks ago, they had fun and Joel taught her how to lite a campfire properly with flint. They still had their guitar lessons once a week, she still had a lot to learn from Joel yet. They sat together for an hour and spoke about their daily chores, Joel had been helping out with building repairs again.

It soon turned 10pm and Ellie told Joel she should be going now, she had to be up by 7am for her greenhouse duties again. Joel told her he knew how she felt, he had patrolling in the morning with Tommy. She didn't envy him, the snow had been coming down heavy and it was always freezing first thing in the morning. She went to get her coat and put her boots on, she told Joel that she would come to visit him tomorrow for dinner. Joel went to wash the mugs out while Ellie headed to the back door of his home, a cold breeze blew into the house when she opened the back door.

" See you tomorrow Joel!" Ellie yelled.

" Night kiddio!" Joel said.

" Night!" Ellie said.

Ellie closed the back door behind her, she hurried down the porches steps and made her way across the backyard to her garage apartment. The snow had eased now, the sky was clear for once and the stars were out. When she reached the garage's side door she noticed someone from the corner of her eye, she opened the garage's side door wide and squinted her eyes. She could finally see who was coming towards her, it was Cat. She had no idea why she was out so late, she crossed her arms and walked to met her halfway across the backyard.

" Hey, what are you doing here?" Ellie asked.

" I'm just dropping off a flask of leftover soup for you, it's an apology." Cat replied.

" For what exactly?" Ellie asked.

Cat told Ellie it was for the soil incident in the greenhouse this morning, she had hated that Ellie had gotten shitty about it. She told Ellie that there had been some leftover tomato soup and she thought that a flask of the delicious soup would be a great apology since it was going to be cold tonight. Cat had also brought some DVDs and a board game, she told Ellie that she thought a surprise sleepover would cheer her up.

" What do you say, Ellie?" Cat asked.

" Fine, you can sleep on the couch." Ellie replied.

" My favourite place in all the world, I wouldn't have it any other way!" Cat smiled.

" You're a dork, you know that right?" Ellie asked.

" Oh I know, that's why you love me!" Cat replied.

" Come on asshole, let's get out of the cold." Ellie said.

Cat draped her arm around Ellie's shoulders and gave her a side hug while they walked together towards the garage apartment, Ellie playfully pushed her away from her with a laughed. Cat told Ellie that she had seen Dina and Jesse this evening, they were sneaking out of the community again. Nothing surprised Ellie anymore when it came to Dina and Jesse, they would end up getting caught at some by Tommy if they weren't careful. Ellie switched the light on in her home and took her coat off, she told Cat to make herself at home while she put a few logs on her little fireplace.


	10. Festive Times

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> -I thought I'd write a little bit about Cat's past in this chapter.
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 10!

Christmas Day.

Snow covered the backyard of Joel's house, but the sky was bright blue this morning. It was finally Christmas day, the community was in full celebration mode. The Tipsy Bison Bar was serving meals for people who had no families, it was a yearly tradition so Ellie had been told by Maria. It was nice knowing that no one would be spending the day alone, Ellie felt lucky that she had Joel. He had told her that it would be a traditional Christmas with presents and a big lunch, there would also be board games and Christmas movies in the evening. She couldn't wait to celebrate the day, it would be her first Christmas surrounded by family and friends.

Ellie had wrapped Joel's present in brown wrapping paper, she had also framed the portrait she had drawn of Joel. Cat had given her a few tips about shading, she couldn't have finished it without Cat's advice and help. She had also found some books for Maria and Tommy outside of the community, she had sneaked out with Dina a few days ago. They hadn't gone far, they just explored some abandoned stores and houses near the community. That's where she had found the books, they were about gardening and wildlife. She planned on telling them that she had found them at the library, she would be in so much trouble if they found out that she had broken the rules by sneaking out at night with Dina.

Ellie left her garage apartment with the presents in her arms and headed towards Joel's house, she could already smell the turkey cooking. The kitchen's window was open, she could see Maria peeling potatoes at the window. She hurried up the porches steps and entered the house through the back door, she could hear some Christmas music playing from the living room. She walked along the hallway and saw Tommy setting the table, she gave him a smile before she hung her coat up on a coat peg. She looked over her shoulder when she heard Maria's voice coming from the kitchen, she saw Maria peeping her head around the kitchen's door frame

" There you are, we thought you had over slept." Maria said.

" I nearly did, luckily Cat set my alarm clock for me before she left mine last night." Ellie said, she turned around to face Maria. " Where's Joel?"

" He's upstairs, he should be down soon." Maria said.

" Okay, do you need any help?" Ellie asked.

" I could do with an assistant in the kitchen, how do you feel about peeling carrots?" Maria asked.

" I'm cool with it." Ellie replied.

Maria told Ellie to put the presents underneath the tree before she joined her, she then returned to the kitchen. Ellie took her time walking to the living room, she headed towards the tree and knelt in front of it. She placed the presents underneath it and looked up at the tree, Joel had managed to get some lights from one of the stores in town about a week ago. She left the living room and headed to the kitchen, Maria had already left her a potato peeler and a pile of carrots for her to peel on the counter. She began to peel the carrots, she was going to chop them when she had finished peeling them to save a little bit of time.

" Hey there, Ellie." Tommy said.

" Hey Tommy." Ellie said, she glanced up at him from the carrot she was peeling. " Happy Christmas!"

" Why thank you, little lady." Tommy smiled.

" You're such a dork." Ellie laughed.

" I know." Tommy smiled.

Ellie listened to Maria telling Tommy about using the best china and to get the silverware out, she wanted the day to be perfect since it was the first time they would be celebrating Christmas together has a family. It wasn't long until the carrots were peeled and chopped, Ellie had put the chopped carrots into a boiling saucepan of water on the stove. Mostly everything had been done now in the kitchen, the stuffing was in the oven and the turkey had been based for the fourth time by Tommy. Maria had poured Ellie a cup of eggnog, she went to sit in the Dining Room while she waited for Joel to come and join them. She took a sip of her festive drink and watched Tommy putting out the silverware, he was making idol chat with her.

" Did you do much last night?" Tommy asked.

" Nothing much." Ellie replied while she took a sip of her drink. " I watched It's A Wonderful Life with Cat, it was an okay movie. A little morbid when you think about it, you know since the main character thought about killing himself at Christmas time."

" You're right, it's not a very festive movie when you think about it." Tommy said.

" So, what's Joel doing upstairs?" Ellie asked.

" I think he's wrapping your Christmas present, but let's pretend you didn't hear that from me." Tommy replied.

" My lips are sealed." Ellie said.

Ellie continued to chat with Tommy until Joel joined them in the Dining Room, he ruffled up Ellie's hair before he headed towards the kitchen. He seemed to be in a good mood which was fine by Ellie, she didn't like it when he got grumpy. He soon returned with some wine glasses, he began to help Tommy with the table setting.

Joel wished Ellie a Happy Christmas, she returned his seasonal greeting and raised her cup to him which earned her a little chuckle from him. Maria soon joined them and asked if they would like to open the presents before or after dinner, it was a easy decision for Ellie to make.

" What do you say, kiddio?" Joel asked.

" Before dinner." Ellie replied.

" Then it's settled." Tommy said.

" Okay, I'll just go and check on the turkey first." Maria said, she crossed her arms. " We don't want anything to burn now, do we?"

" Definitely not, it smells so delicious!" Ellie said.

" Go on, I'll join you in a moment." Maria said.

Maria returned to the kitchen while Ellie hurried to the living room, she was really excited about giving Joel his present from her. Tommy and Joel settled down on the couch, Ellie sat down near the tree and Maria sat down on the couch's arms near Tommy. Joel told Ellie to hand out the presents, he didn't have to tell her twice. She read each label and handed them out, they each took turn in opening each others presents. Ellie watched Maria and Tommy opening the books she had gotten them from one of the abandon houses outside of the community, they seemed pleased with what she had gotten them.

" Thanks, Ellie." Maria said.

" How about you open what we got you next." Tommy said.

" Okay." Ellie said.

Ellie pulled the present they had gotten her towards her, it was a medium sized box. They had wrapped it in some colouful festive paper, she was surprised that they had managed to find wrapping paper like this decades later after the apocalypse. She carefully ripped the paper from the box and placed it down next to her, she squealed when she saw some roller boots in the box. They weren't in the best of condition and about one size bigger than her foot size, but she had always wanted a pair since she was about eight years old. She hadn't told anyone besides Cat about her birthday wish, she couldn't believe she finally had a pair of her very own.

" Holy shit!" Ellie yelled, she took them from the box. " So fucking cool!"

" Cat told us that you wanted a pair." Tommy said with a smile. " Me and Joel found them a few weeks back on patrol."

" You guys are the best, I can't believe you found some!" Ellie smiled.

" Thank Tommy, he's got a keen eye for spotting stuff." Joel said.

" I can't wait to try them out!" Ellie said.

They continued to open their presents together, Maria had left halfway through because she needed to check on the turkey and vegetables. Tommy began to tiny up the wrapping paper, he told Ellie that this use to be his job when he was a kid. He left Joel and Ellie in the living room while he went to join Maria in the kitchen, Joel then gave Ellie her present from him. Ellie quickly opened it, she smiled to herself when she saw a little wooden carving of a rabbit. It was adorable and small, it reminded her of the rabbit she had shot in the woods that one time when she was looking after Joel when he had been injured. She gave Joel a tight hug and he returned her embrace, she pulled herself away from him with a big smile on her face.

" Thank you, Joel." Ellie said. " I love it!"

" You're welcome, kiddio." Joel said.

" This one is for you, it's from me." Ellie smiled while she picked a present up from the floor and held it towards him. " I hope you like it."

" Thank you, Ellie." Joel said.

Ellie jiggled her shoulders slightly with excitement while she watched Joel opening his present from her, she couldn't contain her excitement anymore. She watched him closely ripping the paper away from the present until it was revealed, Joel held the picture frame out in front of him while a smile crept across his face. She joined his side and sat down on the arm of the chair, she was also checking out her own artwork.

" Did you draw this?" Joel asked.

" Yeah, I'm sorry if it's crappy." Ellie replied.

" No, it's real good," Joel smiled, he got up from the couch and placed it on the fireplace's shelf. " It's gonna be the pride and place of my living room."

Ellie tucked some loose strands of hair behind her right ear while she smiled at Joel, she was really happy that he liked the drawing she had done for him. Maria interrupted them, she told them that dinner was ready. They both left the living room and joined Tommy in the Dining Room, they all sat around the table while Maria served them up their Christmas dinner.

******************

Spring - 2035

The Spring night was warm and calm, the community was still. It had just turned 12am and not many people were around, the normal street patrols patrolled the streets on horse back. Ellie was planning on sneaking out of the community tonight with Cat, they had done this several times before with Dina and Jesse. There was a loose panel behind a shed in one of the unused houses backyards in the west side of the community, it had been empty for over a year now. The previous owner had died on patrol outside of the community, they hadn't moved anyone new into the house yet. They were fixing some parts of the house since it had been damaged in a storm a few weeks ago.

Ellie made sure she had her 9mm Pistol and her trusty switchblade with her before she left her home, she even packed a few sandwiches in case they got hungry. She crept out of her garage apartment and hurried through the backyard, she was meeting Cat in the backyard of the unused house. She kept to the shadows, she hid now and again behind bushes or cars when the patrols were nearby. She hurried along the street and climbed over the fence of the unused house, she soon met up with Cat behind the shed. Cat slide the loose panel open and slipped through the gap in the community's wall, Ellie followed after her. Cat made sure that the panel was closed behind them, they didn't want anyone from the outside knowing that there was a secret way into the community.

" Follow me..." Cat whispered.

Cat grabbed hold of Ellie's hand and lead her close to the wall of the community, they stayed close to the wall so no one in the watch towers could see them while they were sneaking out. They kept on going until they reached the edge of the forest, after that they were safe to wander through the woods to the Summer Camp they had visited last year before Ellie's birthday. It wasn't that far from the community, it had become a secret base to Ellie and her friends since Ellie had seen it across the lake when Joel had been giving her swimming lessons.

Cat shone her torch ahead of them, she was keeping an eye out for wild animals and other things that went bump in the night. Ellie had her switchblade at hand just in case she needed it, there hadn't been many sightings lately of the Infected near the community but she wasn't going to take any chances. It wasn't long until they reached the Summer Camp, the camp reminded Ellie of those Friday The 13th movies she had watched with Joel last year. Cat and Dina had teased Ellie when they first visited this camp, they kept telling her that Jason was coming to get her. But surprising enough Jesse had stuck up for her, he actually told Ellie in secret that he was creeped out by Jason too.

The Summer Camp was dark and creepy, most of the windows of the camping hut buildings were broken. There were overturned canoes and overgrown trees hanging over one building's doorway, they had used one of the camping stoves the last time they had been here. Ellie followed Cat down the gravely pathway, she took her little clip on touch out and clipped it to her jacket before she turned it on. She looked up at the sky above them, the moon was full and the stars were shining brightly in the night sky. It was nights like these that Ellie loved, it was the perfect time for looking at the stars through her telescope.

" It's a nice night, I wonder if we'll see any owls tonight?" Cat asked.

" Maybe, we heard enough of them while we were here last time." Ellie replied.

Cat peered through one of the Boathouse's windows, she shone her torch through the window and checked out the room inside. They had only explored some of the buildings at the Summer Camp, they had already cleared out the Dinner Hall in the camp. There was about three Infected people inside the Dinner Hall building, it was sad since two of them were children. They must have been a family passing through or they had setup home there through the winter months, it could get cold in these parts. But that was about two months ago, it had been pretty clear since then.

" It seems empty inside, do you want to check it out?" Cat asked.

" Sure, why not." Ellie replied while she walked behind the back of the Boathouse. " We may find something cool inside, you know like fishing gear."

" I'm sorry about your fishing rod, we're find you a replacement at some point." Cat said.

" Well you did break it..." Ellie said.

" I said I was sorry!" Cat sighed.

Cat had accidentally broken Ellie's fishing rod on one of their fishing trips with Joel about a month ago, she had broken the Hook Keeper and snapped the Handle on the rod. Cat had apologized about it over a hundred times now, but Ellie enjoyed watching her squirm. Ellie wandered around the building and found the dock of the Boathouse on the other side of the building, the lake looked beautiful in the moonlight. It sparkled like the water in the snow globe she kept above her bed, it reminded her of a painting she had seen in Tommy and Maria's house.

The door to the Boathouse was unlocked, the door's chain had been broken years ago by the looks of it. The door creaked while she opened it wide, there were cobwebs hanging down from it's door frame. Ellie checked inside of the building in case there was anyone or anything inside of the pitch black room, it was quiet and still. Cat joined her side and shone her torch inside the Boathouse, she stepped inside while she lead Ellie by her hand into the unknown building.

" It's dark in here..." Ellie whispered.

" Tell me about it, just watch out for the water's edge." Cat said.

" You don't have to tell me twice." Ellie said.

Ellie let go of Cat's hand, she wandered around the room and looked at some plaques hanging on the wall. There were pictures of past boat races and trophy plaques on the wall, they were dated from 2012. There was also a shelf full of dusty trophies, she took one of them from the shelf and blew some cobwebs from it. Ellie looked over her shoulder when Cat said her name, she watched her pull a sheet away from something big and boat-like. She tilted her head to one side when she saw a white giant swan, she walked over to it and gently touched it's neck while she placed the trophy in the boat.

" What the hell is this things?" Ellie asked.

" It's a paddle boat." Cat replied with excitement in her voice. " I've not seen one of these things for years! My Mother took me on a boat ride once on one of these things, well we slept in one in the middle of a pool for safety reason. But still, I loved it!"

" That sounds pretty cool." Ellie said.

" Do you want to take it out on the lake?" Cat asked.

" Is it safe?" Ellie asked.

" Safe has houses, don't be such a stick in the mud!" Cat replied.

" Alright, we'll go for a quick boat ride then to please you..." Ellie sighed.

" You won't regret it, I swear you'll enjoy it!" Cat smiled.

They both checked out the paddle boat for holes or any other damages, it looked sail worthy besides it's damaged paddle. Cat began to pull the paddle boat towards the water's edge while Ellie looked for some oars for it, they were going to have to row instead of peddling it's broken watermill. In the end they both managed to get it into the water, Cat got into the boat first and Ellie soon joined her. She wobbled slightly before she sat down next to Cat, they both took an oar each and giggled when the boat rocked side to side.

" Let's get rowing!" Cat said.

They began to row in time together, the paddle boat soon began to move smoothly across the lake. The lake was still and peaceful, it made the boat trip easier for the both of them. Ellie and Cat stopped rowing after a while when they reached the middle of the lake, they placed the oars safely down inside the boat and relaxed while the boat drifted by it's self. Cat took a flask of green tea from her backpack, she also had some leftover sponge cakes that her Mother had made for the nursery children. Ellie told Cat that she had also brought some sandwiches, they had brought quite the feast between them.

" I guess great minds think alike, we've got the next few hours of feasting ahead of us." Cat smiled.

" We'll need the energy, it's field duties today." Ellie said.

" Oh, I forgot about that." Cat sighed while she poured them both some tea. " We'll be tired later, maybe we should have left the sneaking out until the weekend."

" Nah, this is great!" Ellie smiled.

" Yeah, we deserve this little day out." Cat smiled.

Ellie took the sandwiches from her backpack and placed them on the boat's seat, she then took one of the mugs of green tea. She wrapped her hands around her warm drink while she looked across the lake, it was so peaceful at night around here. Cat pointed out some fireflies not far away from the boat, they looked so pretty while they dance around on the lake's surface. They laughed and spoke about everything while they tucked into their little feast, they even shared a few of their deep dark secrets together. Ellie didn't tell Cat about her bite mark though, that secret was for her alone and a select bunch of people.

" This is the life, I wish this night could last forever." Cat said.

" Do you wanna stay in this moment forever or something?" Ellie asked.

" Only if you stay with me." Cat replied.

" Well, I guess I could arrange something." Ellie said, she emptied the leftover tea from her mug into the lake. " I'll have to run it passed Joel first, he may miss me if I just runaway without saying anything to him."

" Joel is a sweetie!" Cat said, she wiggled her little finger at Ellie. " You've got him wrapped around your little finger."

" Joel is an animal, no sweetness and light like you think!" Ellie joked.

" Well, he's always nice to me." Cat said.

" It's because he likes you." Ellie said.

" I'm a likable person, I thought everyone knew that!" Cat said.

" You've got a big head, be careful it doesn't weigh down the boat." Ellie laughed.

Ellie smiled at Cat before she looked up at the sky, the night was being kind to them so far. They both lay back in the boat and Ellie pointed out the odd star constellations to Cat, Ellie had been studying star constellations ever since Joel had given her the telescope last year. She only knew a few of them, Cat told Ellie that she knew where The Big Dipper was located. She took hold of Ellie's hand and guided it towards a group of stars in the sky, she let go of her hand while she told her that The Big Dipper looked like her Mother's saucepan.

" You're such a dork." Ellie smiled.

" I know." Cat giggled.

Ellie put her hands behind her head while she continued to look up at the sky, she pointed out the odd shooting star to Cat. They lay in the boat together and spoke about their lives before The Jackson Community, Cat was being open with Ellie for once about her Family. Her Mother and Father were originally form China, they had moved to America before Cat was born. Cat's parents had settled down in West Haven, Connecticut. But after the outbreak they had travelled by boat to Tybee Island Beach, they had docked off the coast there for a few months and lived off the sea.

" It was a beautiful place to stay." Cat said, she rolled over onto her side and leaned on her hand while she looked at Ellie. " It wasn't far from Savannah, I would have loved to explore the City but it was too dangerous because of the Infected. My Father was the only one who went out on supply runs, I had to stay on the boat with my Mother. I was allowed to explore the beach with my parents though, we use to go fishing and my Father taught me how to make fishing nets."

" The Infected seem to ruin everything, but you're so lucky to have seen the ocean." Ellie said.

" You would have loved it, the sunsets were to die for and the crabs were delicious." Cat said with a smile. " My Mother does the best steamed crabs, I miss those days."

" Then why did you move to Jackson?" Ellie asked.

" My Father died..." Cat replied.

Ellie looked at Cat and told her she was sorry to hear about her Father, but Cat said it was okay. Cat went onto tell Ellie that her Father had been killed on a supply run when they had docked in Saint Louis Bay, it was located in southern Mississippi. He had been exploring some abandon house not fair from the coast when a group of Hunters turned up in their armored truck, he managed to warn them with a flare before he was shot dead.

" Me and my Mother were on the beach when it happened, we had been waiting for him to come back." Cat said while she took a seashell from her pocket and showed it to Ellie. " We had been collecting seashells, it was my silly little hobby when I was a kid. We saw the flare and hid until the Hunters left, we found my Father's body on the road by the beach. We buried him on the beach, he would have loved the spot my Mother had chosen for him."

" Did you ever find the Hunters?" Ellie asked.

" No, we just packed up our things and travelled by foot after that." Cat replied.

Ellie took hold of Cat's hand and gave it a little squeeze, she could see that Cat was getting a little bit upset when she was talking about her Father. Cat gave Ellie a smile and told her the rest of her story, it was Ellie's turn next to tell Cat about her past. Ellie told Cat about her Mother's dying after she was born, she mentioned Marlene and Tess. She told Cat about how she had met Joel, but she left the part out about Saint Mary's Hospital. They spoke about their lives until the first rays of dawn began to shine in the sky, it wouldn't be long until they were working in the fields and greenhouses for the day.


	11. Patrol Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> \- I'll be covering one of my fanfiction I wrote called Farm House in my next chapter, heads up if you want to check it out.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 11!

Summer - 2035

Ellie had been sitting in Joel's living room since this morning, she was under house arrest for the next few days. She had tried to burn the bite mark away from her arm with acid this morning, but she had been caught by Joel in the process. Joel had been outside hanging out his washing when he heard Ellie crying out in pain, he had rushed into her garage apartment and found her crying on the bathroom floor. He had been panicked with the sight that greeted him, he comforted her before he rushed her to the community medical center.

Joel had to lie to the doctor, he had told him that Ellie had accidentally knocked over some acid and burnt her arm in his basement. Luckily for Ellie the bite mark had been burnt away from her skin by the acid, but the scarring that would be left behind wouldn't be pretty. Ellie had seen the mess of her arm before it had been treated, her skin was red and blistered. The doctor had to wash her acid burn in cold water before he dressed it in a bandage, the doctor had told her that back in the times before the Infection took hold of the world the treatment would have been different. He didn't have antibiotic creams or anti-itch medicines, it would have to heal naturally.

Ellie was going to have to keep her wound clean all by herself, she had been given clean bandages and some pain killers. Joel told the doctor that Ellie was going to be staying with him for the next few days, Ellie had protested at first about it but she was fighting a losing battle. It didn't help much when Maria had turned up with Tommy, it was like three versus one. Maria had persuaded Ellie to stay with Joel, she ended up agreeing with her because Maria could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. So for now Ellie was staying at Joel's house until her arm was better, she couldn't wait to get back home though because Joel had been fussing over her like an over protected babysitter.

Staring over at the open window in the living room she saw Tommy walking along the sidewalk, he was carrying a dish of food. It was probably Maria's famous chicken stew, Ellie really did love Maria's chicken stew with fluffy dumplings and sliced tiny mushrooms. Her mouth began to water at the thought of food, she could actually do with a snack right now. She heard Tommy knock at the door, it wasn't long until Joel walked through the hallway and answered the door. She could hear them speaking from the hallway, they weren't even being quiet about the conversation they were having about her neither.

" How's the patient doing?" Tommy asked.

" She quiet, but she just needs to rest up." Joel replied.

" I can hear you talking you know!" Ellie sighed.

" I see her hearing hasn't been affected!" Tommy said.

" You've got that right, Tommy!" Ellie said.

" Now, now kids!" Joel said with a chuckle. " Play nice!"

Joel told Tommy to take a seat while he got him something to drink, Ellie watched Joel walking back along the hallway with a the dish in his hands. Tommy joined Ellie in the living room, he sat down on Joel's armchair and told Ellie that Maria had made her some chicken stew. Ellie thanked Tommy and told him to thank Maria too when he returned back home, their talk soon turned to Ellie's little accident with the acid. She didn't really want to talk about it, but she knew Tommy already knew about the bite mark. She tired to change the subject, but Tommy forced the subject on her and asked her if it was because of the bite mark on her arm.

" Okay, fine!" Ellie sighed, she pulled her knees to her chest. " You guessed right, okay? It's just Cat is going to be doing a tattoo soon on my arm, I was hoping she would be doing it on my left arm. But she said the right arm is the arm she wanted to do the tattoo on..."

" Is that why you did it?" Tommy asked.

" Yeah, I know it was stupid..." Ellie replied.

" It was dangerous, you had Joel really worried about you." Tommy said.

" I know, I've said sorry to him already..." Ellie said.

" Ellie, you really need to start talking to us if you're struggling with anything." Tommy said while he cupped his hands together. " I'm mighty fond of you kid, you're like my family and I want you to be happy."

" I am happy, it's just if anyone found out about me being immune to the Infection..." Ellie sighed.

" I understand what you're saying, but it was reckless." Tommy said.

Ellie told Tommy that she had already had the third degree from Joel about what she had done, she didn't want another scolding from her second favourite person in The Jackson Community. Tommy was flattered that he was Ellie's second favourite person in the community, she told him that Maria was her third favourite and Cat was her forth. They sat and spoke together until Joel returned with a tray of drinks for them, but before Joel even had a chance to sit down there was a knock at the door. Joel left them while he went to answer the door, Ellie took a hot mug of milk from the tray and cupped her hands around her mug.

" Ellie, you've got some visitors!" Joel yelled.

Ellie didn't even have time to answer Joel back before she saw three familiar faces peering into the living room from the hallway, she gave them smile and told them to come on in. Dina, Jesse and Cat entered the living room. Tommy asked them why they weren't in the greenhouses, they told him they were on a break and they just wanted to see if Ellie was okay.

" Lighten up, Tommy." Ellie said, she placed her feet down on the floor. " Ten minutes away from the greenhouses won't kill the tomato plants."

" Alright, I'll pretend I didn't see any of you kids here." Tommy said.

" See, I told you Tommy would be cool about it." Jesse said.

Ellie's friends spoke with her about her accident, she told them that she had been helping Joel tidy the basement and accidentally knocked over some acid. Dina did question Ellie about her old acid burns on her right arm though, she must have remembered Ellie telling her that when she first met her in the greenhouse. Ellie made a joke about things always happen twice sometimes for a reason, she had gotten use to wearing a bandage over the bite mark for the last year. She had forgotten about her little white lie she had told Dina, but hopefully she would get away with it.

" You'll be all fixed up by the time we start patrol training in the Autumn, right?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah, I'll be raring to go." Ellie replied with a smile. " You'd be lost without your patrol buddy."

" You've got that right." Jesse smiled.

" I still think Cat should join our patrol training, it will be fun." Dina said.

" Oh no, my Mother would kill me!" Cat said, she smiled weakly at Dina. " I'm more of an insider, I prefer helping out in the community."

" Chicken more like..." Dina teased.

" Hey, play nice." Jesse said.

" There's nothing wrong with Cat not wanting to join the patrol training." Tommy said before he took a sip of his hot drink. " She's more help inside the community than outside of it, she's doing a good job in the nursery with the young ones."

" I've rather fight off toddlers than the Infected any day of the week." Cat said.

" She's got a point, it's not easy out there." Joel said.

" Maybe it's because you're getting old." Ellie smiled.

" Oh burn!" Dina said.

" Hey, I could still run rings around you kids." Joel said with a chuckle. " It's called experience, not old age."

" I'm not going to lie, I've seen Joel take on a Bloater with a shotgun." Ellie said before she took a sip of her drink. " There was this guy named Bill who lived in Lincoln and he was helping us get hold of a car battery, we had to take a shortcut through an abandoned school. It was so fucking creepy, there were Runners and Clickers everywhere!"

" Whoa, seriously?!" Jesse asked.

" Totally the truth!" Ellie replied while she nodded her head. " This is the best part though, so we were taking a shortcut through the gym and this Bloater came bursting through these side doors from a store room. It was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen in all of my life, it smelt like death and horse shit! It was like throwing spore bombs at us and we were all dodging them, it was so intense!"

" What happened next?" Dina asked.

" Joel blew the ugly fucker away, it was really cool." Ellie replied.

" Is that true, Joel?" Cat asked.

" Every damn word." Joel replied.

" It was so awesome." Ellie smiled.

Joel smiled at Ellie before he got up from the couch, he told Ellie that he was going to warm the stew up for her dinner. That was the cue for her friends to leave, they had to go and finish their greenhouse shift before they were free for the day. They all said goodbye to Ellie and Tommy walked them back to the greenhouse, he told Joel before he left that he would call back round later. Ellie left the living room and joined Joel in the kitchen, the stew was already warning up in the oven. Joel was already sitting at the little table in the kitchen, he was drinking the rest of his coffee from earlier.

" Would you like me to set the table?" Ellie asked.

" Sure, just be careful." Joel replied, he looked over at Ellie. " We don't want you to over do it, how's your arm feeling?"

" It's tender, but I should be able to manage picking up a few plates." Ellie replied.

Ellie walked over to the cupboard and took two plates from it, she then made her way to cutlery draw. She took two forks from it and walked back to the table, she then set the plates out on the table. She winced when she placed a fork down next to Joel's plate, he told her to sit down and rest her arm. She sat across the table from him and rested her arm on the table top, her gaze lingered on her bandaged arm. Joel cleared his throat which caught Ellie's attention, she looked up at him from her arm and stared at him.

" Do you wanna talk about it?" Joel asked.

" We already spoke about it this morning." Ellie replied.

" I know, but I overheard you talking with Tommy." Joel said, he placed his mug down on the table and leaned in closer to Ellie. " Talk to me, kiddio. This tattoo business, it's really important to you huh?"

" I just want to fit in, that's not much to ask right?" Ellie asked.

" Of course not, I understand what you're saying." Joel replied with a smile. " I just don't want you hurting yourself again, come to me next time if there's a problem."

" I'm not a kid anymore..." Ellie sighed.

" I know, just keep what I said in mind." Joel said.

Ellie smiled at Joel and nodded her head at him, she knew he would help her out if needed. The oven peeped and Joel got to his feet, he told Ellie to take it easy while he was gone. Ellie watched him walking over to the oven, he opened the oven's door and the smell of the stew wafted around the kitchen. She watched him take the dish from the oven, he then carried it over to the table and placed it between their plates.

" It smells good." Ellie said.

" Maria sure knows how to make a good stew." Joel said.

" I'm surprised Tommy isn't fat yet." Ellie smirked.

" I'll tell him you said that." Joel said.

" Please don't..." Ellie said.

Joel chuckled and spooned some of the stew onto his plate first, he then went to get some sliced bread from the breakfast counter. He returned to table and placed the bread next to Ellie's plate, she helped herself to some of the bread and ate some of it while Joel began to spoon some stew onto her plate. She couldn't wait to tuck into the stew, this had become one of her favourite meals since she had moved into the community with Joel.

" Come on now, baby girl." Joel said while he spooned some more stew onto her plate. " Eat up, we've got to get up all fixed up for patrol training."

" Okay." Ellie said.

********************

Autumn - 2035

Ellie had been patrol training along side Jesse and Dina since she turned seventeen, she was really enjoying the training lessons with the group she was training with at the community. She had the best shot in the whole of her class, she even mocked Jesse about it which drove him crazy at times. Dina always teased Ellie by saying she was going to steal her top shot of the group crown at some point, she told her that she would be the Queen of the patrols at some point. But today was the first time they would be allowed to venture outside of the community on one of the many group patrols, it was like the passage into being allowed to start going on paired patrols.

Jesse was really excited about his very first group patrol, he had been talking about it since they were informed by Tommy that they were going to be allowed to go outside of the community. Ellie, Jesse and Tommy were in one group. Dina was in a different group than her friends, they all had a seasoned leader in their groups which meant all of the rookies were in safe hands. Joel was busy today in the community, he had been helping out with some new fixtures on the the community farm and drawing up some plains for a new barn to keep the ever growing flock of sheep in during the Winter months.

Ellie had seen Joel before she left her garage apartment this morning, he had told her to be careful out there. Ellie had reassured him that she would be okay because she would be with Tommy, Joel should know better than anyone that she would be in safe hands with his Brother around on patrols. After that Ellie headed to the stables and checked on her horse Shimmer, her horse was already saddled up. The stable hands made sure each rider had everything they would need before they left the safety of the community, they made sure they had food supplies and a first aid kit in the horse's satchels. Also extra bullets and a drinking canteen, the patrollers had to be prepared at all times.

Ellie got her riffle from one of the stable hands and mounted her horse, she patted Shimmer's neck before she rode her horse forward. She met up with Jesse outside of the stable, he was speaking with Tommy while they waited for Ellie. She stopped her horse next to Jesse and he told her that they had been waiting for her for over ten minutes, she told them she had speaking with Joel before he had left for work this morning.

" Your old man needs to chill, you'll be in safe hands with us." Jesse said.

" You try telling him that, the guy worries too much." Ellie sighed.

" He's just worried about his little girl, it happens I guess." Jesse said.

" But I'm not little girl anymore, I never really was..." Ellie said.

" Well, I'm taller than you." Jesse joked.

" Shut up, Jesse!" Ellie said.

" Alright, settle down you two." Tommy chuckled.

Tommy told Ellie not to worry about Joel, he told her that he would have a word with him later on when they returned back to the community. Ellie was grateful that Tommy had her back, she loved Joel dearly but he could get too overprotective at times and it felt like she was being smothered by him when she was trying to find her own interdependence. It wasn't long until Dina and some of the other trainee patrollers turned up on horse back, they all spoke quietly amongst themselves until Tommy began to speak about the group patrol.

" You've all got your assigned routes to follow and please remember to sign the logbooks when you reach the bases, I've entrusted you all with this trial run group patrol." Tommy said while he signaled to a man to open the gates. " If you run into any trouble you can't handle then head back to the community, just remember to keep safe out there."

The gates of The Jackson Community were opened and the group patrols began to ride through the gateway into the unknown, Dina wished them luck before she rode off with her group. Ellie and Jesse waved Dina off while they waited for Tommy, he was sorting out some last minute duties that needed to be attended to while he was out on patrol. Ellie and Jesse chatted until Tommy joined them, he told them they would be riding out to the west of the community.

" There's a neighbourhood we haven't explored yet, it could be dangerous but I think us three can handle it." Tommy said.

Jesse told Tommy they could handle anything, but Ellie didn't think the same has Jesse. She kept her thoughts to herself has they rode forward together, they passed through the gateway and headed to the west of The Jackson Community. They followed the pathway that lead towards the nearby neighbourhood Tommy wanted them to explore, the weather was warm which made their journey that little bit more pleasant.

They rode through a stream and headed up an embankment, they were surrounded by woodland. Ellie was riding next to Jesse when they came to the edge of the woods, they could now see buildings and overgrown street. Tommy took the led, he rode his horse ahead of them and they kept going at a steady pace. There was many abandon cars and derelict buildings lined the street, it was sad seeing the world in this state. Ellie had noticed a paddling pool in one of the front yards, it was hard to imagine children playing here before the apocalypse happened.

" How's the tattoo going?" Jesse asked.

" It's going good, it's nearly finished now." Ellie replied while she halted her horse. " Cat is a master tattoo artist, maybe you should asked her to do you one too."

" I might take you up on that offer, she seems good for you." Jesse said.

" I like her, she's fun to be around." Ellie said.

" Have you told Joel yet?" Jesse asked, he halted his horse ahead of Ellie and dismounted it. " You know about Cat being your girlfriend."

Ellie dismounted her horse and told Jesse that she hadn't said anything to Joel about her relationship with Cat yet, she was nervous about telling Joel about Cat. Joel actually liked Cat, he got along with her and she had been out on a few fishing trips with them. Cat's Mother already knew about their relationship, she didn't mind them being a couple. Ellie led Shimmer forward when she saw Tommy reappear from a house not far away from them, he had opened the garage of the house so their horses would be safe while they explored the area.

Jesse entered the garage first with his horse, the garage was in pretty good condition and there was some tools hanging on the wall. Tommy closed the garage door behind them and they tied their horse's rains to a metal pipe on the wall. Ellie had checked out a tool box she had found inside one of the cupboards, there was some tools in the box that Joel may like for his carpentry work. They left the garage with their riffles in hand, Jesse had closed and bolted the side door to keep the horses safe while they were gone.

" Keep your guard up, we have no idea what or who is around here." Tommy said.

" Got it." Jesse said.

Tommy beckoned Jesse and Ellie to check upstairs while he walked along the hallway, he said he'd check out the rest of the rooms downstairs before he joined them. Ellie took the lead while she carefully walked up the stairs, the steps of the staircase creaked underneath her weight. She aimed her riffle along the landing and stopped Jesse with her hand when she heard a moaning sound coming from the bedroom nearest to them.

" Infected?" Jesse whispered.

Ellie pressed her finger against her lips before she slowly opened the door to the bedroom, she peered into the room and saw an Infected person standing in the corner of the room. Jesse took his hunting knife from his belt and crept into the room, Ellie aimed her riffle at the Infected person just in case Jesse needed her help. Jesse quickly jumped into action, he wrapped arm around the Infected person's neck and cut its throat while he brought it to the ground. The Infected person soon stopped moving, Ellie aimed her riffle along the landing and continued to explore the upstairs part of the house. She checked the other rooms, she ended up stumbling across a body on the bathroom floor but there wasn't any other Infected people upstairs.

" Hey, check this out." Jesse said.

Ellie looked over her shoulder when she heard Jesse's voice, she walked back along the landing and found Jesse in a child's bedroom. She entered the room and looked at some picture frames on the wall, the name Jeremy was written in one of the picture frames. The wallpaper was faded on the walls, there was a little cot in one corner of the room and a wind chime hanging in front of the window.

" What have you found?" Ellie asked.

" Some building blocks and a few toy cars, also baby doll." Jesse replied, he showed Ellie a Rubik Cube. " Retro, huh?"

" Wow, I've not seen one of these things since I was a kid!" Ellie replied.

" Shall we take some of these toys back for the nursery?" Jesse asked.

" Sure, the kids would love them." Ellie replied while she snatched the Rubik Cube from his hand and waved it in front of his face. " But not this, it belongs to me now."

" You're such a child." Jesse chuckled.

" It takes one to know one." Ellie smiled.

" Oh I know, how old are you now?" Jesse asked, he playfully tried to take the Rubik Cube from her hand. " Seven or Twelve?"

" Shut up, asshole!" Ellie laughed.

Ellie playfully slapped Jesse's arm before she put the Rubik Cube in her backpack, she left Jesse in the child's bedroom while she went to explore the another room near the staircase. Most of the rooms had been overturned and looted decades ago, there was mostly furniture left behind. Ellie met Jesse back on the landing, they made their way back downstairs and searched the downstairs area for Tommy. Ellie found two lifeless Runners in the kitchen and the basement's door was wide open in the hallway, but there was no sign of Tommy. Jesse told Ellie that he would check out the living room, the dining room and the backyard. They agreed that they would meet back in the hallway in a few minutes time, and with that they began their search.

" Tommy, where are you?!" Ellie asked.

Ellie kept searching the other rooms, she even shone her clip on torch down the basement's staircase and called out Tommy's name. She couldn't see anything or hear anything down there, she didn't plan on going down there neither without a reason. She headed back through the house and checked the laundry room, there was no sign of Tommy anyway. She was beginning to get worried now, she called out to Jesse and he soon answered her back.

" Hey Ellie, you need to see something!" Jesse said.

" Where are you?!" Ellie asked.

" I'm in the living room!" Jesse replied.

Ellie kept her guard up and entered the living room area with her riffle in her hands, her stomach flipped when she saw fresh blood spattered across the wooden floorboards. Jesse was looking through a large hole in the side of the house, he told her that he could see a trail of blood leading along the street. Ellie looked through the hole too and told Jesse that they needed to search the whole area before it got dark, they couldn't return home without Tommy or Maria would kill them.

" Don't worry, we'll find him." Jesse said.


	12. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -I wanted to explore Ellie's friendship with Tommy and Jesse.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - Also the website has been acting up over the weekend.
> 
> -There will be a part in this chapter where I mention an event that is actually a fanfction I wrote called Farm House.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 12!

Ellie and Jesse left the abandoned house, they continued the search outside area for Tommy. They checked outside of the hole in the wall and found broken glass, some of the glass looked liked it had been crushed underfoot. There was also some bloody footprints, they had to belong to Tommy since they were the only patrol group around here unless there were Hunters around these parts. They looked along the street and ventured forward, their riffles aimed ahead of them just in case they needed to act fast.

The street was quiet, too quiet for Ellie's liking. They followed the bloody trial halfway down the street and stopped outside of a building, the gate to the front yard was wide open. Jesse noticed some bloody drag marks leading towards the steps outside of house, he crouched down next to them and pointed out some trotter prints. He said it looked like Wild Boar tracks, but there was still no sign of Tommy though. Ellie joined his side while she stared at the building, it's windows were boarded up and part of the roof was missing. She had no idea why Tommy would have left the house they were exploring without telling them, it was all very odd.

" Do you think Tommy was hunting it?" Ellie asked.

" I don't know, we didn't hear any gunshots." Jesse replied, he got to his feet. " Maybe he stumbled across an injured Boar or something, it would have been an easy hunting target."

" We should check out that house." Ellie said while she pointed towards the building. " Tommy could be inside of it, he could be injured for all we know."

" Okay, were do a quick sweep of the house if we can." Jesse said.

Jesse lead the way and Ellie stayed close behind him, they walked up the building's stone pathway together. They stopped when they found bloody hand prints on the front door of the house, they looked fresh. Ellie noticed part of the porches banisters was missing, there was also broken wood everywhere. Ellie moved forward and looked down the alleyway that ran along the side of the house, she soon called for Jesse when she saw a carcass of a Boar halfway down the alleyway.

" It looks fresh, keep your guard up..." Jesse said.

" You too." Ellie said.

Ellie and Jesse walked back to back down the alleyway, by doing this both entrances were covered. They checked out the Boar carcass when they reached it, there was so much blood and the whole alleyway smelt of rotten flesh. The poor Boar's insides were hanging out from a massive gash across it's stomach, it looked like someone had torn it apart with their bare hands. Jesse poked the carcass with his riffle, he was surprised to find part of an arm underneath it. The arm wasn't fresh though, it looked like an Infected person's arm. They carried on walking down the alleyway and soon they stumbled upon more bloody footprints, Jesse told Ellie that they were fresh. But there was more than one set of footprints, it looked like someone had been running.

" Do you think Tommy came through this way?" Ellie asked.

" Maybe, let's keep moving." Jesse replied.

Jesse walked ahead of Ellie, but he soon stopped dead in his tracks and pulled Ellie behind a wooden paneled fence. They peered through a hole in the fence and they saw about six Runners in the street ahead of them, they were feasting on something in the middle of the road. Jesse took some binoculars from his backpack and looked through them, he told Ellie that he could see the Runners feeding on another Boar carcass.

" Wait, I see something else!" Jesse said.

Jesse told Ellie that he could see someone hiding up a tree near The Runners, he told her that it looked like Tommy. She took the binoculars from him and took a look for herself, he was right. Tommy was hiding up a tree, he looked in good health from what Ellie could make out. His riffle was aimed directly at the Runners below the tree, one of the Runners tried to climb the tree but Tommy soon shot it dead. The riffle shots soon alerted two Infected people to his location, this wasn't going to end well for him if he kept firing his riffle.

" Shit, we need to distract them!" Ellie said.

" I've got this, cover me..." Jesse said.

" What are you planning to do?" Ellie asked.

" Trust me, okay?" Jesse replied.

" Jesse..." Ellie said.

" Stay here." Jesse said.

Jesse soon left their hiding place and whistled at the Runners, he waved his arms around at them which soon caught their attention. Ellie soon heard Tommy yelling at Jesse, he was telling him to run. Jesse sprinted across the backyard and jumped over a fence, four of the Runners soon were chasing after him. Ellie put the binoculars away in her backpack, she mumbled to herself while she emerged from her hiding place with her riffle in her hands.

" Fucking idiot!" Ellie muttered.

Ellie aimed her riffle at a Runner that was still snarling at the bottom of the tree, she closed one of her eyes and took a deep breath before she shot at it. She managed to shoot it right in the back of it's head and it's brains splattered across the ground, she was getting really good with riffles since she took up her patrol training. Tommy opened fire and shot at the other Runner, he fired three rounds at it and the Runner dropped dead at the bottom of the tree.

Tommy waved at Ellie before he began to climb down the tree, he reached the bottom of it and hurried towards Ellie. She lowered her riffle with a sigh of relief, but without any warnings a Runner appeared from nowhere. It was heading towards Tommy, she yelled at Tommy before the Runner rugby tackled Tommy to the ground. He hit the ground hard and grunted, he then began to fight the Runner off. He used his riffle's handle and hit it a few times in the side of it's head, but it didn't slow the Runner down.

" Tommy!" Ellie yelled.

Ellie fired a few shots at the Runner, she managed to shoot it in the head before Jesse reappeared from the direction Tommy had run from not long along. He kicked it's body off the top of Tommy and helped Tommy to his feet, they then hurried towards the alleyway in case anymore of the Infected were coming. Ellie was already running back down the alleyway, she soon came out onto the street they had been exploring earlier before they had found for Tommy. She looked over at the abandon house they had ready explored earlier, she could hear distance Infected screams coming their way. They needed to get off the street, that's when she began running toward the house with Tommy and Jesse not far behind her.

" Head for the basement!" Tommy yelled.

Tommy and Jesse over took Ellie, they entered the house first. Ellie closed the front door behind them while her friends hurried towards the basement of the house, she pulled a small cabinet in front of the door before she followed after them. She could now hear the screams outside of the house, it wasn't long until she heard something being thrown through the dining room's window. She closed the door to the dining room and hurried along the hallway, she heard something throwing it's self against the closed door.

" Ellie, keep moving!" Tommy yelled.

Ellie looked back and saw a Runner crashing through the door of the dining room, she stopped for a moment and aimed her riffle at it. She fired a few shots at it and she managed to slowed it down, she then hurried forward. She soon heard banging at the barricaded front door, she hurried along the hallway and headed towards the basement's doorway in the hallway. Tommy immediately closed the door behind Ellie and reached for the bolt of the door, the door began to shake when one of the Infected began to bang at the door with it's fists.

" Keep going!" Tommy said while he bolted the door shut. "I'll be right behind you!"

" Tommy..." Ellie said.

" Keep going, Ellie!" Jesse said.

Ellie didn't want to leave Tommy behind, but Jesse grabbed hold of her arm and hurried her down the staircase. They passed through another doorway when they reached the bottom of the staircase, they entered the basement and waited for Tommy. They looked around the basement, it was dark and damp. Tommy soon joined them and closed the other door at the bottom of the staircase, he then bolted the door shut. He told them they should be safe has along has they didn't make any sounds, but Ellie knew that the Infected wouldn't leave a place when they knew people were around.

" Help me move these crates in front of the door!" Tommy said.

Ellie and Jesse helped Tommy with the crates, they soon had the door barricaded in no time. Tommy sat down in front of one of the crates, he leaned back against it and took a few minutes to catch his breath. Ellie knelt in front of him and stared at his bloody jacket, she had no idea if the blood belonged to him or something else. She placed her riffle down on the floor and took her backpack off, she then took a little first aid box from her bag.

" Are you hurt?" Ellie asked, she opened the first aid box and grabbed hold of one of his hands before she checked them for wounds. " That's a lot of blood on your jacket, does any of it belong to you?"

" I'm fine, it's just Wild Boar blood..." Tommy replied.

" You scared the shit out of me!" Ellie sighed.

" It will take more than a Runner to finish me off, I'm tough has old boots." Tommy said.

" What we're you doing out there?" Ellie asked, she let go of his hands. " You should have told us where you were going, you had us worried!"

" The Boar was injured, I wanted to put it out of it's misery.' Tommy replied.

" Dude, you could have been killed!" Ellie said.

" I know, I know..." Tommy sighed.

" Hey guys, do you hear that?" Jesse asked.

Ellie and Tommy looked up at the ceiling, they could hear footsteps above them. Dust fell from the ceiling above them, she covered up her nose with her hoody's sleeve before sneezed loudly. Jesse sat down on a small wooden crate and aimed his riffle towards the barricaded door, he was ready in case any of the Infected got down into the basement. They could hear them moving around above them, Tommy told them that the kitchen was right above the basement.

" Do you think there's another way out of here?" Jesse asked.

" Nope, I already checked the basement out before I went after the Boar." Tommy replied. " We're trapped like sardines down here for now, let's hope that herd of Infected moves on in the next few hours."

Ellie got to her feet and told Tommy that she could easily fit through one of the basement windows, she told them she could head back to the community to get them some help. But Tommy told her that would be risky with the Infected moving around in this area, he didn't want her to risk her life for them. Ellie agreed with him, the riffle shots probably had drawn most of them to this area. She sighed to herself and sat down next to Tommy, they could be stuck here for hours or days at this rate. But her thoughts soon turned to the safety of their horses, they were trapped in the garage with no way out.

" I hope Shimmer and the other horses are okay." Ellie said.

" They should be fine, I made sure the garage was secure before we left them." Jesse said.

" Good, that's put my mind at ease at least." Ellie said.

Jesse, Ellie and Tommy listened to the shuffling footsteps above them. They had no idea how many Infected were up there, the odd scream and moan could be heard from the kitchen above them. Tommy told them he reckoned that there was about six Runners upstairs, he said that he could tell by their footsteps. Jesse questioned Tommy about it while Ellie stared at the basement's window, it hadn't been the first time she had been trapped in a basement. She must have zoned out for a few minutes until she heard Jesse's voice, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at her friend.

" Are you okay Ellie?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah, I'm good." Ellie replied.

" Penny for your thoughts?" Tommy asked.

" I was just thinking about the last time I had to hide in a basement." Ellie replied.

" What happened?" Jesse asked.

" Me and Joel had to hide in a farm house's basement once, it happened while we were traveling back to The Jackson Community." Ellie replied while she looked up at the ceiling and pulled her legs to her chest. " There was storm, we thought we'd take shelter in an abandoned farm house until it passed. But unknown to us there was a child serial killer living in that house, he was a strange character. Nothing but a monster!"

" What happened to the guy?" Jesse asked.

" Joel took care of him, you know after I got into trouble. " Ellie replied with a slight smile. " I'd rather have a serial killer any day of the week than a herd of the Infected, at least they're easy to kill."

" I remember Joel telling me about that incident, it sounded nasty." Tommy said, he rested his hand on her arm. " I'm glad Joel killed that asshole."

" Me too, he probably saved many kids lives that day." Ellie said.

Jesse commented on Ellie's story, he had no idea how much Ellie and Joel had been through before they settled down in The Jackson Community. They sat and spoke quietly together about anything that came to their minds, the hours were passing and the Infected seemed to still be moving around in the kitchen above them. Ellie got to her feet and explored the basement, it was mostly junk in this basement. There were old crates of family items and canned goods, they were decades old from what Ellie could tell.

" It's getting dark, the other patrol groups will come looking for us when they realize we haven't return to Jackson." Jesse said.

" You're right, this is kind of embarrassing." Tommy said.

" The almighty Tommy has fallen, however will you live this down?" Jesse asked.

" With a pinch of salt and a bottle of Brandy." Tommy replied.

Ellie smiled slightly while she looked over at Tommy, his humour was refreshing even though they were trapped in this damn basement. She looked over at one of the windows in the basement, she had already checked them and they were sealed from the other side which was weird. Someone had sealed them shut with nails, there was no way out of here just yet. Ellie kept exploring the basement until Jesse and Tommy mentioned food, her stomach couldn't help but rumble loudly at the thought of something to eat right now.

" There's some food and water in my backpack, we should eat something to keep our strength up." Tommy said.

" I have a bottle water and some sandwiches in my backpack, maybe a flask full of cold soup." Ellie said while she joined them on the other side of the basement. " Joel made me a packed lunch this morning, he insisted... I'm glad I yes to him now."

" I've got some fruit, but it's in my horses satchel." Jesse said.

" Alright, it seems like we've got enough food and water until morning." Tommy said.

Ellie knelt next to Tommy and opened her backpack, she took the sandwich box from it. She pulled the lid back on the tub and the smell of steak wafted from the box, there was about six sandwiches inside of the box. She also took the flask of cold soup from her backpack and her drinking canister, Joel always told her to be prepared for anything out on patrols. Jesse didn't have any food in his backpack but he did have a torch and two boxes of riffle bullets, they had bullets which was a bonus if any of the Infected managed to find their way into the basement.

Tommy found them some empty jam jars to use for the soup, Ellie poured them an equal share of the soup. They sat together on the other side of the basement with their backs resting against the wall, they could keep an eye on the barricaded door from where they were sitting. Jesse placed his torch facing upwards towards the ceiling and switched it on, he told Ellie that torchlight didn't bother the Infected if any of the light shone through the kitchen's floorboards. He also mentioned that if anyone came looking for them they may notice the light from basement, he was actually onto something which was impressive.

Ellie told Jesse that it was a smart ass, he was actually flattered by her insult which amused her deeply. They sat in silence and ate their food together, it had now become quiet upstairs. Tommy had unbolted the door at the bottom of the basement and ventured up the staircase, he wanted to see if he could hear anything moving around upstairs. Ellie had put the leftover sandwiches back in her backpack, they had saved some of the water too in case they needed in a few hours time. She sat back down with Jesse and they waited for Tommy to returned, it was now getting dark outside which worried Ellie. She knew Joel would be learning soon that they hadn't come back from their group patrol, he would be really worried about them.


	13. The Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -Spoilers may happen.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My charger is broke for my laptop, I've got my phone to write fanfictions on but it's a slow process.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 13!

Ellie woke just before dawn, she could see light creeping through the basement's window. Tommy had taken the first watch and Jesse volunteered for the second watch, Ellie would take the early morning watch until mid day. She yawned while she stretched out on her makeshift bed, it wasn't the most comfortable place to spend the night. She got to her feet and made her way over to Jesse, it looked like he was about to doze off. She whistled at him and punched his arm, he jumped slightly at Ellie's wake up call.

" Hey there sleepy head!" Ellie said, she sat down next to him on the crate. " Go and get your head down for the next few hours, I've got this."

" Are you sure?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah, it's my shift anyway." Ellie said.

" Thanks Ellie." Jesse said.

Jesse left Ellie sitting on the crate, he lay down on Ellie's makeshift bed and got comfortable while she took her riffle that was leaning against the wall near the crate. She aimed her riffle towards the door and listened to the noises around her, she could hear Tommy snoring softly not far away from her. The upstairs part of the house had gone quiet, but they were unsure if the Infected were still up there.

Ellie looked around the basement before she looked up at one of the windows, she was tempted to smash one of them. But it may attract some unwanted attention, it had been quiet for the last few hours so she didn't want to chance it. She looked over at Tommy when she heard him stir in his sleep, he soon woke up and yawned.

" Morning." Ellie said.

" Morning little lady, how's the watch going?" Tommy asked.

" Good." Ellie replied while she itched her nose. " Jesse just settled down, he'll be out of it until we're ready to move."

Tommy got up from his makeshift bed and joined Ellie on the crate, he sat down next her while he picked his water canister up from the side of the crate. He took a gulp of water and offered his canister to Ellie, she took it from him. Tommy told Ellie that they would check the upstairs area out in a few hours time, it had been quiet so it may be clear by now.

" It sounds quiet up there, do you still want to chance it?" Ellie asked.

" Well we can't sit down here forever, we've got no other choice." Tommy replied.

" Okay." Ellie said, she looked at him. " Do you think anyone is coming to look for us?"

" You're worried about my big Brother too, huh?" Tommy asked.

" You know what Joel is like, he'll come out here with all guns blazing." Ellie said while she looked down at her riffle. " Just like a cowboy out of one of those western movies he loves so much..."

" You've got that right." Tommy said with a slight smile. " We'll be out of here by then, just give Jesse a few more hours and we'll head upstairs."

" Alright, cool." Ellie said.

Ellie sat with Tommy for the next few hours, but the slience was soon broken from upstairs. They could hear something moving around above them, there was footsteps and a loud crashing sound. It sounded like someone had smashed a tray of glasses, it wasn't long until there was screaming coming from the kitchen above them. Ellie got to her feet while her grip tightened on her riffle, she looked over at the basement's window when she heard something run passed it.

"Jesse wake up!" Tommy said.

Jesse jumped up from his makeshift bed and asked them what was going on, they didn't have a clue themselves. Tommy put his backpack on and grabbed his riffle, he told them to ready themselves because they were going to make a run for it. Tommy began to move the crates away from the door of the basement while Ellie and Jesse got their belongings together, but Tommy soon stopped what he was doing when he heard some gunshots.

" What the fuck is going on up there?!" Ellie asked.

" I don't know, but it doesn't sound good." Jesse replied.

Tommy told them it could be a search party or something else, they were going to have to keep their guard up. Ellie asked Tommy about their horses, she didn't want to leave them behind. Tommy told her they should be safe for now, they needed to find out what was going on up there first before they even attempted to get to their horses.

Jesse and Tommy began to move the crates away from the basement's door, it was long until Tommy unbolted the door. He told Ellie to be their backup while he and Jesse took the lead, she told him okay has she followed them up the staircase. They reached the top of the staircase and Tommy unbolted the door to the hallway, they couldn't hear any sounds coming from the other side of the door.

" Don't do any reckless, just head for the front door." Tommy said.

" You too, dude." Ellie said.

Tommy gave them a nod of his head before he opened the door, but the door was jammed. Something was in front of the door, there was enough room for someone to squeeze through the doorway. Ellie volunteered since she was a smaller build than her companions, they told her to be careful. She took her backpack off and began to squeeze through the doorway's gap, she held her riffle tightly in her hand has she managed to make it into the hallway. She soon found out what was blocking the door, it was a Runner.

" I see it, it's Runner." Ellie said.

" Is it dead?" Jesse asked.

" No Jesse, it's taking a nap." Ellie replied in a sarcastic tone. " Give me a minute to move it."

" Hurry up..." Tommy said.

Ellie checked out her surroundings before she cupped her arms underneath the Runner's arms, it smelt of death. She grunted while she began to drag it away from the door, it was heavy and disgusting. She couldn't help but hold her breath, she heard the door of the basement open while she dropped the Infected on the floor. But she froze when she heard a clicking sound, she looked over her shoulder and noticed a Clicker in the living room.

Ellie's eyes grew wide, she signalled to Tommy and Jesse to keep quiet. But without any warning she was rugby tackled to the floor by a Runner, she struggled and tried to free herself from it's grip. She heard gunshots and screams of the Infected, they were in danger. Tommy kept on firing his riffle at any Infected person that ran towards them, Jesse on the other hand was fighting off another Infected person that had surprise attacked him from behind.

" Get off me asshole!" Ellie yelled

Ellie pushed her hands against the Infected person's chest, it snarled and tried to bite Ellie's cheek. It drooled down her neck, she tired to use her feet to get it off her but it was too strong. She yelled when she heard gunshots firing not that far away from her, the Runner soon stopped moving and collapsed on top of her. Ellie groaned and pushed it off the top of her, she had no idea who had shot the damn thing.

" Stay down, Ellie!" Someone yelled.

Ellie looked over to where the voice had come from, she saw Dina and Joel firing their riffles at every Infected person that dared come near them. Ellie grabbed her hunting knife from her leg holster, she got to her feet and stabbed the Runner in the back it's head who was attacking Jesse. It fell dead at her feet, she sat down on the floor and breathed heavily since there seemed to be no other Infected people in the building. She soon noticed Joel walking towards her, she looked up at him and sighed deeply to herself.

" Are you alright?" Joel asked.

" I'm good." Ellie replied.

Joel helped Ellie to her feet before he pulled her into a hug, she wrapped her arms around him. She snuggled her face into his chest, she was so happy to see him. After a while Joel pulled her away from him and turned his attention to Tommy, he had a hug for his younger Brother too. Joel told Tommy that Maria was worried about him, he was going to be in the doghouse when they returned to The Jackson Community.

Ellie smiled at Joel and Tommy, she knew that there would be words between them both later about the disastrous group patrol training. Dina soon walked over to Ellie and gave her a hug, she told her that she had been worried about her too. Ellie smiled and hugged her friend back, she then asked her if Cat was okay. Dina pulled herself away from Ellie and gave her a nod of her head, she told Ellie that Cat would be calling around to see her later.

" Next time I'm coming with you, Jesse and Tommy." Dina said while Jesse wrapped his arm around her waist " You're patrolling seemed more exciting than mine."

" Oh I don't' know about that, I fancy a quiet patrol next time." Jesse said.

" And a safer one, the basement life isn't that great." Ellie said.

" I don't know about that, it seemed cosy." Dina said.

" More like damp and stinky, I swear a saw a rat down there." Ellie said.

" That could have just been Jesse." Dina laughed.

" Hey!" Jesse frowned.

" Okay lovebirds, break it up!" Tommy said with chuckled. " Let's get back to Jackson before Maria sends out another one of her search parties."

" Sounds like someone is under the thumb." Jesse said.

" Yep, and dont I know it." Tommy said with sigh. " I dont know about you guys, but I could do with a stiff drink right now."

" I couldn't have said it better myself, let's get moving girls." Jesse said.

Tommy handed Ellie her backpack before he walked a head of her and Joel, the two lovebirds has Tommy called them walked not far behind him. Joel walked with Ellie through the hallway while she put her backpack on, he stopped her though near the front door of the house and touched her arm. He looked worried, but Ellie knew she was going to get one if his safety lectures from him again.

" Are you okay, baby girl?" Joel asked.

" I'm fine old man, I'm tougher than I look." Ellie replied, she glanced through the open doorway before she looked back at Joel. " I was in safe hands, I've learnt a lot from Tommy since yesterday. He's a skilled patroller, you should know that..."

" I know, but I worry about you." Joel said.

" I was worried about you too." Ellie said with a sigh. " I was worried in case you didn't something reckless, but has always you came to save the day."

" And what's that meant to mean?" Joel asked.

" It's nothing, I'm just tired..." Ellie replied.

" Me and you need a long talk at some point, okay?" Joel asked.

" We'll talk tomorrow, I promise." Ellie replied.

" Alright, let's get out of here." Joel said.

Ellie watched Joel walk through the open doorway, she lingered inside the house before she went to join the group outside of the building. Tommy was waiting for Ellie with her horse Shimmer, she couldn't help but fuss over her horse before she mounted her. Joel and Tommy took the lead, the rest of them followed behind them all the way back to The Jackson Community.


	14. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictiond on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> \- Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper is featured in this chapter.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 14!

Ellie walked back to her garage apartment with Joel, he had a lot to say to her on the walk back from the stables. He was in Dad mode, he had been so worried about her. Ellie listened to most of what he had said to her, but after a while she just switched off. She loved Joel dearly and took his advice seriously, but sometimes it felt like he was smothering her. She just wanted some independence, she was going to be eighteen next year which meant she would be able to make her own decisions when she hit that milestone.

" Are you listening to me, Ellie?" Joel asked.

" Yeah, I hear you." Ellie replied.

Joel told her to be more careful on patrols, he didn't want her going out on anymore group patrols unless she was with him from now on. She wasn't too please when he said that, she had to bite her tongue for most of the walk back to Joel's house. It wasnt even her fault what had happened with Tommy and Jesse, she had been careful. She looked down at the sidewalk while she walked, it wasn't long until they arrived at Joel's house.

Joel opened the gate for Ellie, she thanked him while she walked through the gateway. She walked along the pathway and stopped at the porches steps, she looked back at Joel. She wasn't planning on going into his house tonight for a hot drink, she knew Cat would waiting for her in her garage apartment. Joel walked up the porches steps and stopped at the top of them, he then turned around to face Ellie.

" Aren't you coming in?" Joel asked.

" Cat is waiting for me outback." Elie replied, she adjusted her backpack's straps on her shoulders. " She's cooked me dinner, I don't want to keep her waiting."

" I see, goodnight then." Joel said.

" I'll see you tomorrow." Ellie said.

Ellie was about to leave, but Joel asked her to stay for a moment longer. She turned around to face him and asked him if they could talk tomorrow, she didn't want anymore lectures from him tonight. She told him that she was tired and hungry, but they arranged to meet tomorrow in the local community restaurant for breakfast. She gave him a smile and waved to him before she began walking back down the pathway, she had managed to escape his lecture by taking the long route home instead of cutting through his house.

" Take it easy old man." Ellie said.

" Night Ellie." Joel said.

Ellie closed the garden gate behind her and headed back along the street, she cut through the greenhouse area and entered the backyard through the back garden's door. She saw the kitchen's light on in Joel's house, she hurried over to her garage apartment and entered her home. She closed the door behind her and she was greeted by Cat, she was stirring some food in a pot on the stove.

" Honey, I'm home!" Ellie said.

Cat immediately turned the heat down on the stove before hurried over to meet her girlfriend, she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. Cat cupped Ellie's face and kissed her lips softly, she told her that she had been really worried about her when she hadn't returned from her group patrol.

" I was so worried about you!" Cat said.

" I'm fine..." Ellie said.

" You look like you've been sleeping in a coal mine." Cat said, she wiped some dirt from Ellie's cheek with her thumb. " You're filthy!"

" I thought you liked me that way." Ellie smirked.

" Oh I do, but not on this occasion since you stink." Cat smiled.

Cat softly kissed Ellie's lips once again before she pulled her into another hug, she then squeezed her tightly in her arms. Ellie returned her girlfriend's embraced, she was so happy to be home after the days events. Her gaze soon wandered over to the boiling pot of food on the stove, it smelt amazing. She pulled herself away from Cat and licked her lips, she was staving.

" Something smells good in here." Ellie said.

" I'm making you some soup." Cat said while she pulled a cobweb from Ellie's hair. " I'm also running you a hot bath, I'm going to sprinkle some lavender petals into the bath water. You'll be clean before you know it."

" Sounds good." Ellie said.

" Take your time, the water is already running." Cat said.

" Okay." Ellie said.

Cat left Ellie to get undressed for her bath, she told her she was going to add some lavender oil she had made to the bathwater. Ellie wasn't much for all the girly oils, but she put up with them because Cat liked making them for her. She took off her coat and hung it on her coat peg, she then removed her boots. She felt dirty, she couldn't wait to just curl up in bed next to Cat and get a descent nights sleep.

Dropping her backpack on the floor Ellie walked to the bathroom, she got undressed and threw her clothes on the floor before she got into the hot bath. She swore a little has she lowered herself into the streaming hot water, she could feel body aching already. She pulled her hair bobble from her hair and placed it next to the soap bowl, she ducked her head beneath the water before she emerged from the bathtub's depths.

Cat entered the bathroom and picked Ellie's dirty clothes up from the floor, she then threw them into the washing basket. Ellie told Cat that she would wash them in the morning, she just wanted a lazy night with her girlfriend. Cat knelt next to the bathtub and took the soap from the soap bowl, she then rubbed the soap bar on Ellie's back.

" Are you feeling better?" Cat asked.

" I'm getting there." Ellie replied, she looked at Cat and took hold of her soapy hand before she kissed it." You know I could get use to this, thank you for being here when I got back home."

" You're welcome." Cat smiled.

" It gave me an excuse to get out of one of Joel's lectures." Ellie said.

" Wow, thanks for making me feel special why don't you..." Cat said.

" I didn't mean it like that..." Ellie said.

" I know." Cat said with a smile. " Joel's been giving you a hard time again, huh?"

" Yeah." Ellie replied with a sigh before she pulled her knees to her chest. " I love the guy, I'd do anything for him. But he's always being over protective, he just needs to back off and give me some space."

" Joel thinks the world of you, Ellie." Cat said while she rested her arm on the side of the bathtub. " He just wants what's best for you, we both do."

" I know." Ellie sighed. " But I just want to do my own thing without him breathing down my neck all the time."

" Then talk to him, tell him how you feel." Cat said.

" But what if I hurt his feelings?" Ellie asked.

" He'll understand." Cat replied.

" But what if he doesn't?" Ellie asked.

" Ellie, you'll be fine." Cat replied.

Cat kissed Ellie on the top of her head before she gave her the bar of soap, she told her to relax and get cleaned up while she went to get her dinner ready. Cat left the bathroom while Ellie began to clean herself up, she rubbed the soap between her hands. She dropped the soap a few times into the water, but she soon found it and sang softly to herself.

If you're lost you can look and you will find me  
Time after time  
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting  
Time after time  
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me  
Time after time  
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting  
Time after time

Ellie ran her soapy hands over her shoulders and through her hair, she was being to feel much better now. She was dreading speaking with Joel tomorrow over breakfast though, she didn't want to fall out with him after everything they had been through together since they first met when she was fourteen. She sighed to herself and rested her forehead against her knees, she would have to wait until the morning to talk things through with Joel.

****************

The Next Day.

Cat had woken Ellie up early, she basically had to be dragged out of bed by her girlfriend. Ellie was still tired from yesterday, she just wanted to sleep the day away. But she had to go and have breakfast with Joel, she wasn't looking forward to it after yesterday's events. She had lingered in bed until Cat left for work, she then got out of bed and looked around for some clean clothes.

Ellie found some clean jeans and put them on, she smelt her armpits next before she put one of her shirts on. She yawned loudly while she put her sneakers on, she wasn't a morning person at all. Grabbing her hoody she left her garage apartment and put her hoody on while she walked towards the back gate, she couldn't even be bothered to tie up her hair today.

Closing the backyards gate behind her Ellie cut through the greenhouse area and headed towards the bustling stores of the community, she always enjoyed visiting the stores. It reminded her of those little towns you always see in western movies, the wagons being unpacked by store owners and people riding horses through the streets. The children playing hopscotch in the streets and having to move when wagons needed to pass, then people playing music together on porches. It always gave of western vibes to Ellie, she loved it.

" Morning Ellie!" Jesse said.

Ellie stopped when she heard Jesse's voice, he was standing on a store's porch and leaning on it's banister. She walked over to him and stepped up onto a small crate so she could be eye level with him from the other side of the banister, he wasn't with Dina this morning.

" Hey Jesse." Ellie said.

" Are you up to much?" Jesse asked.

" Not much." Ellie replied before she rested her hands on the banister. " I'm meeting Joel for breakfast, I'm running late actually."

" Your old man is giving you a hard time too, huh?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah, has always." Ellie replied.

" He just had words with me too." Jesse said, he looked at Ellie. " I've got to keep an eye on you if we go out on anymore group patrols, it looks like I'm going to be your babysitter from now on."

" I'll talk to him about it." Ellie said

" Good, I'm a terrible babysitter." Jesse said with a smile. " Hey, do you want to come hunting with me and Dina next weekend?"

" Sure, it sounds fun." Ellie replied.

" Great." Jesse said.

" I'll see you later, wish me luck." Ellie said.

" I wish you all the luck in the world." Jesse said.

" Thanks, I'm going to need it." Ellie said.

Ellie said goodbye to Jesse and carried on walking down the street, it wasn't long until she reached the restaurant's door. A woman said good morning to Ellie, she returned her greeting while she opened the door to the local restaurant. Joel was already there, he was sitting at a table by the window. He had already ordered himself a hot drink, he soon noticed Ellie and smiled at her. She took a deep breath and tucked some of her hair behind her ear while she walked towards him, she sat on the seat across from him and grabbed a menu from a little holder.

" You're finally awake I see." Joel said.

" Yeah, sorry I'm late." Ellie said.

" It's alright." Joel said before he took a sip of his coffee. " Cat told me she had trouble waking you up this morning, I saw her in the backyard."

" Yeah, she crashed on the couch at mine last night." Ellie said.

Ellie took a look at the menu and read through the breakfast meals, she always tried to avoid the Cat staying over talks. Joel just thought they were good friends, but she hadn't told him that Cat was her girlfriend yet. They'd only been dating for a couple of months, only a select group of people knew about their relationship.

The waitress soon came over and took their order, Ellie was surprised to see Lucy working here. She was the woman Joel and Ellie had rescued last year on their way back from the museum they had visited for Ellie's sixteenth birthday, she made small talk with Joel until Ellie had decided what she was going to have for breakfast. There was so many choices, she decided to have scrambled eggs on toast and a cup of hot milk. Joel ordered a steak and egg sandwich, Ellie didn't know how he could stomach something so heavy first thing in the morning.

" It will be about ten minutes." Lucy said while she jotted their orders down in her note pad. " I'll be back in a bit."

" Thanks Lucy." Joel said.

Ellie watched Lucy leave, she crossed her arms and blew some of her fringe away from her eyes. The restaurant was busy this morning, people always came for takeout food or just to order a mug of coffee. Joel once told her this is what it use to be like before the infection took hold of the world, he sometimes use to tell her about the city he grew up in when he was young. It wasn't long until their orders were brought over to the table by Lucy, she wished them a good day before she went to deal with some other costumers.

" So, how are feeling this morning?" Joel asked.

" Good, I could have done with a few more hours sleep though." Ellie replied, she took a sip of her mug of hot milk. " Cat woke me up early, she made sure I was up and ready to met you here before she left for work."

" Cat's a good kid." Joel said before he crossed his arms. " I'm glad you've got a friend like her in your life, she'll keep you on the straight and narrow."

" Yeah, she's a real good egg." Ellie chuckled.

" And what's that meant to mean?" Joel asked.

" Nothing, it was a bad joke..." Ellie replied.

Ellie picked her fork up and began to eat her food, she was starving. Joel told her to slow down in case she choked on her scrambled eggs. Ellie chewed her food slowly and took some toast from her plate, he was already in Father mode this morning. She made a joke about his heart packing in if he ate too much steak, she laughed slightly when he told her steaks only kill vampires. She liked spending time with Joel when the bad jokes were flowing, but the over protective part needed to be sorted out.

" I was thinking of going out on a hunting trip with Jesse and Dina next weekend." Ellie said before she took a bite of her toast. " We're not going far, just a few miles away from the community."

" I don't know, Ellie..." Joel said with a sigh. " It's kinda dangerous out there right now, we've seen an increase of the Infected passing by the community since last week. It's not even Fall yet and they seem to be on the move already, I don't think it's a good idea."

" It's not until next weekend though, it could be safer by then." Ellie said.

" We'll see what it's like next weekend then, I'll let you go if the herds..." Joel said.

" Cut the shit Joel, it's safe if we're out there in groups!" Ellie interrupted.

" Ellie please, it's just..." Joel sigh, he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his hand. " I wanna keep you safe, I don't want anything to happen to you out there."

" I can take care of myself!" Ellie said.

" I know!" Joel said. " You're a capable young woman and you handle a riffle like a pro but..."

" Listen, just let me have some freedom for once!" Ellie interrupted, she leaned forward and spoke quietly to Joel. " I'm seventeen, I'm old enough to make my own decisions now! I'm not your little girl, I never was... I'm not Sarah!"

Ellie felt a ping of guilt in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't believe what she had just said to him. She could see the sadness forming in Joel's eyes, she regretted saying what she just said to him. She leaned back against the chair and sighed to herself while she placed her toast back on her plate, she wished the ground would swallow her up right now.

" I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that..." Ellie said.

" No, it's fine..." Joel said, he lowered his gaze to his breakfast. " You're right, I shouldn't keep holding you back. It's just everytime I look at you I see the fourteen year old girl I first met all of those years ago with Tess. We've been through so much together, I sometimes forget you're a young woman now."

" I do appreciate everything you've ever done for me, I really do..." Ellie said.

" I know." Joel said while he picked his breakfast sandwich up from his plate. " C'mon now, you better eat your breakfast before it gets cold."

" Okay." Ellie said.

Ellie leaned forward and picked her fork up from her plate, she didn't feel like eating breakfast anymore. She ate some of her toast and picked at her scrambled eggs with her fork until Joel had finished his sandwich, but she soon ate the rest of her breakfast when Joel asked her why she hadn't ate all of her food. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and cupped her hands around her mug of milk, it had cooled down now.

" So, what are you doing today?" Ellie asked.

" Nothing much, I've actually got a free day for once." Joel replied.

" Cool." Ellie said before she took a sip of her milk. " We can do something if you want, you know if you haven't got any plans already..."

" I'd like that, maybe I could teach you a new song." Joel said.

Ellie gave Joel a smile and told him she was down for that, she really loved when he taught her new songs on the guitar. They finished of their hot drinks before they left the restaurant, they then walked down the street together while they made small talk about anything that came to their minds.


	15. Little Surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Sorry for the delay, I've had a cold... my brain doesn't function when I'm sick.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 15!

Winter - January 2036

The snow was falling lightly and the sky was pure white, the surrounding areas of The Jackson Community were peaceful. One Stag wandered through the snow, he was looking for food. But if only the poor creature knew what was going to happen next, he was being watched by a group of hunters from The Jackson Community.

The snow crunched beneath Ellie's boots, she beckoned to Joel while she couched behind a fallen tree trunk. She peered over the tree and watched the Stag, he was grazing by some bushes. She aimed her bow at the Stag, she closed one of her eyes and poked her tongue from the corner of her mouth. She steadied her hands and concentrated on the task at hand, she was ready to shoot.

Joel wasn't that far away from Ellie, he had his riffle aimed at the Stag just in case Ellie missed her target. She took a deep breath and pulled the arrow back, she had the majestic creature in her sights. She let the arrow go and it flew towards it's target, the Stag cried out in pain when the arrow pierced the side of it's neck.

" Got it!" Ellie smiled.

" Not just yet, kiddo." Joel said.

Ellie heard what Joel had said, the Stag ended up running away into the Woodlands. Ellie and Joel soon took chase, they hurried through the snow and kept the Stag in their sights. There was a blood trail, they needed to find the Stag fast in case there was any Infected around these parts. Joel pulled Ellie behind some rocks by her arm, he then pointed over to a clearing in the woods. She saw the Stag, it was beautiful. Ellie took aim once again with her bow, she planned to kill it this time.

" Steady..." Joel said.

" I've got this old man, keep your eyes peeled." Ellie said.

Ellie closed one of her eyes and concentrated once again, she then let go of the arrow. The arrow flew at the Stag and pierced it's side this time, the Stag cried out in pain once again. The Stag was about to run for it when Joel took aimed with his riffle and managed to shoot it more than once. Ellie peered over the rocks and she saw the Stag fall onto its side, it's chest was heaving.

They moved fast from their hiding place and hurried towards the Stag, when they reached the Stag it was already dead. Ellie looked down at it while she breathed heavily, she always felt guilty when she went hunting for Stags and Deers. The Stag was beautiful, but every single part if it would be used at the community. The meat, the antlers and the fur. Nothing would go to waste, it was a hunting trip well done.

Joel soon joined Ellie's side, he couched next to the Stag and ran his hand down it's neck. He told Ellie that it was a young buck, it's muscles were strong and it had some weight behind it. He went onto tell her that Tommy shouldn't be far behind them, he was checking on some other traps in the area for rabbits. Joel pulled the arrow from the Stag's side, he then threw the arrow to one side because it was damaged.

" Did you see that?" Ellie asked, she rested her foot on the Stag's side and held her bow above her head. " The Brick Master strikes again! Oh yeah!"

" Brick Master?" Joel asked.

" It's just an old nickname I use to call myself, it's a long story." Ellie replied while she pulled the arrow from the Stag's neck. " What a beauty though, huh? It's gonna feed a lot of people."

" You're right, it's a hansome fella." Joel replied with a smile. " It's gonna feed a lot of people in Jackson for the next couple of days, we've done good."

" Also it could make a pretty trophy, you know if you fancy a Stag's head hanging over your fireplace." Ellie said, she turned her full attention to Joel. " Maybe the Tipsy Bison Bar could do with a new trophy, I should ask Seth when we get back."

" Don't you want the Stag head trophy in your apartment?" Joel asked.

" No way, it would cramp my style!" Ellie replied with a chuckle. " It's more of Seth trophy, I'm good."

Ellie and Joel made small talk while they waited for Tommy, it wasn't long until Tommy turned up with a few rabbits hanging from his horse's saddle. Tommy helped Joel lift the Stag onto the spare horse they had brought with them, Ellie just supervised them while she boasted about her hunting skills. But her attention was soon caught by a weird sound, it sounded like a crying cat.

" Do you guys hear that?" Ellie asked.

" I don't hear anything." Tommy replied.

Ellie walked away from Joel and Tommy while she listened to the Woodlands around her, she soon heard the weird sound again. Joel told Ellie not to wander too far, but Tommy soon heard the noise too. He said it sounded like a wild cat, but Ellie told them that she wasn't too sure about that. She wandered further away from her hunting companions with her riffle in her hands, the sound was getting louder.

" Ellie, where are you going?!" Joel asked.

" I'll be back in a second!" Ellie yelled, she kept on moving forward. " I wanna check it out!"

" Wait for us!" Tommy yelled.

Ellie kept moving through the snow, the noise was getting louder now and she soon stumbled upon what was making that sound. There was a woman sitting by a tree, he skin was blue and she was cradling something in her arms. Ellie called for Joel and Tommy while she hurried towards the woman, she knelt next to the woman. She touched the woman's hand and spoke softly to her, but the woman was freezing cold.

" Hey, can you hear me?" Ellie asked.

Ellie felt for a pulse on the woman's wrist, but the woman had no heartbeat. She was dead, but the bundle of blankets in her arms was making a lot of noise and moving around. Ellie carefully pulled some of the blankets back to reveal what was wrapped in the blankets, it was a baby. She took the baby from the dead women's arms and cradled it close to her chest, luckily enough the baby seemed okay.

" Hey there little guy, you're okay..." Ellie said.

Wrapping the baby up in the blankets she spoke softly to it, she comforted the baby has best has she could until Joel and Tommy turned up with their horses. They were more surprised at Ellie's find than she had been, she handed the baby to Joel while she got to her feet, her attention was soon drawn to the woman. Tommy examined her, her told them she wasn't that stiff yet which meant she had only been dead for a few hours.

" What do think happened to them?" Ellie asked, her speaking tone was serious. " I mean what were they doing out here? Do you think there's a nearby community out here?"

" Ellie's right, something doesn't seem right here." Joel replied.

" I don't know what's happened here, but we should get the little one back to Jackson.." Tommy said.

" What about her?" Ellie asked.

" We'll take her back with us, she'll get a proper burial." Tommy said while he looked at Ellie and Joel over his shoulder. " You were lucky to heard the little nipper crying out here, it could have turned out differently if you didn't have your ears open."

" It was nothing." Ellie said.

" You did good Ellie, you've saved this little ones life." Joel said.

" The same can't be said about it's Mother though..." Ellie said.

" Hey, she'd be happy knowing her baby was safe." Tommy said.

Ellie looked at the baby in Joel's arms, it had stopped crying now. She touched the blanket it was wrapped in while she smiled at it, the baby was staring at her with its dark brown eyes. Joel gave Ellie the baby back so her could help Tommy with the body, but there was one problem. They only had four horses, someone was going to have to travel by foot on the way back to The Jackson Community.

" One of us will have to walk back to the community, it's the only way we can take the baby Mama back with us." Tommy said while he made sure the Stag was secure on the horse. " It's gonna be a long walk back, any takers?"

" I'll walk back." Ellie replied, she gently bounced the baby in her arms. " Someone has to carry the baby, the bumps on the trails may upset the little guy."

" Alright, but if you get tired then just let us know." Tommy said.

Joel lifted the lifeless woman onto Ellie's horse before he mounted his own horse, Ellie walked ahead of them and comforted the baby when it stirred. The baby soon fell asleep in Ellie's arms, she kept it close to her chest while she walked back to The Jackson Community.

*********************

A Day Later

Ellie lingered in the communities health center's waiting room, she was here to check on the baby they had found yesterday. She hadn't slept yet, she had been worried about the little girl. She had driven Cat crazy with her tossing and turning, it was Cat's idea for her to visit the baby to give her some peace of mind. Ellie wasn't the mothering type but she curious about the girl, she would never know the reason why the Mother had been out in the middle of Winter with a baby.

The doctor soon came to collect Ellie from the waiting room, they walked together down the corridor to the nursery part of the building. A few people said hello to Ellie while she made her way down the corridor with the doctor, they had all heard about her little find in the snow. They turned into another corridor and the doctor opened a door for Ellie, he told her this is where they treated all the younger children of the community.

Ellie walked into the room and looked around at her surroundings, the room was colourful. There was a row of beds on one side of the room and a little play area for the children, she couldn't help but notice the kid's paintings on the wall. There was colourful handprints stuck around the door frame of the room, they were small and cute. There wasn't many children in the room though, just the odd patient and one nurse keeping an eye on them.

The doctor led Ellie over to a cot near the window, the little girl she had rescued from the snow was wide awake. She was looking up at little mobile hanging above the cot, it had ducks and butterflies hanging from it's strings. The doctor told Ellie that this little patient was around six months old, she had been fed and changed already. Ellie rested her hands on the side of the cot and looked down at the baby, she was pretty cute.

" How's she doing?" Ellie asked.

" Shes perfectly healthy, her vitals signs are good but she's underweight for her age." The doctor said, he picked the baby from the cot and cradled her in his arms. " You're lucky you found her when you did, if it was a few hours later it may have been a different story."

" Yeah, Tommy said that too." Ellie said.

Ellie was happy to hear that the baby was doing good, but the doctor then asked her if she'd like to hold her while he went to check on another one of his patients. Ellie was hesitate at first, but she soon took the baby from the doctor and gentle bounced her in her arms. He told Ellie he would be back soon, he had to go and check on a few other patients in the clinic. She watched the doctor leave, she turned her attention back to the baby and looked at the tag around her wrist.

" No name yet, huh?" Ellie asked, she smiled at the baby." You'll get a name soon, they're pick something nice for you. I'm Ellie by the way, your protector and overlord... that's a joke by the way, I'm just your rescuer."

Ellie turned her attention to the window and watched the snowing falling, the whole community looked like the inside of her snow globe. There was a group of kids outside of the clinic, they were having snowball fights and making snowmen. Her thoughts were soon interrupted by someone touching her shoulder, she looked over her shoulder and saw Dina.

" Hey, what are you doing here? " Ellie asked.

Dina told Ellie that she had seen her walking along the corridor with the doctor, it turned out that Dina was getting a random health check up. Ellie didn't pry into Dina's business, but Dina was interested in seeing Ellie's little find. It was the talk of the community, everyone was praising Ellie for her little rescue mission in the snow. The baby was going to be put up for adoption soon, there was a lot of people out there willing to give the baby a home.

" I heard about your find, how's she doing?" Dina asked.

" She's good, the doctor said she's perfectly healthy." Ellie replied.

" What's her name?" Dina asked

" I don't know, the nurses or the adoptive parents will think of something." Ellie replied.

Ellie and Dina spoke quietly together, they fussed over the little girl while they played with her. The baby smiled and wiggled around in Ellie's arms, she seemed to be having a whale of a time with them. Dina was a natural with the little girl, she was the mothering type of person. The doctor soon returned and checked on them, he then told them that he had a special task for Ellie to complete.

" Since the little girl doesn't have a name yet we were hoping that you may help us with that little task." The doctor said, he took hold of the baby's hand and smiled at her. " We would love you to name her, that's if you want to."

" Are you being serious?" Ellie asked.

" Yeah." The doctor replied with a chuckle. " She's going to know all about you when she grows up, I think you maybe in line to be her God Parent at some point."

" Wow, the poor thing." Dina joked.

" Hey!" Ellie said.

" It's a joke, she'll be lucky to have you looking out for her." Dina said.

" What shall I name her?' Ellie asked, she looked at Dina. " Give me some name ideas, just throw some random names out there..."

" Beth, Jane, Mabel, Dorothy, Edith or maybe Elizabeth." Dina replied.

" Too old fashioned, something more up to date." Ellie said.

" Jennifer, Marie, Amber..." Dina said.

" We could name her Ellie after you." The doctor said.

" One Ellie is enough around here." Dina smiled.

" Hey!" Ellie frowned.

" It's true, ask anyone." Dina smiled.

" I thought you were meant to be helping me with names for the baby." Ellie said.

" Okay, okay." Dina sighed and crossed her arms. " Rachel, Martha, Joan or maybe Alice. Louise, Laura, Lisa, Margaret..."

" I don't like any of those names..." Ellie said.

" I'm running out of ideas." Dina said.

" We're not really good at this, but I think she looks like a Lara." Ellie said, she smiled down at the baby in her arms and took hold of her hand. " You know like Lara Croft out of Tomb Raider, she's a fighter."

" Trust you to name her after a video game character." Dina said.

" I think it suits her, little Lara Croft." Ellie smiled while she cooed over the baby. " Lara Winter Croft, yeah! You like that, huh?"

" Then it's settled." The doctor said.

The doctor walked over to a chalkboard and took some chalk from a little box, he then wrote the baby's name down on the board. Ellie placed baby Lara back into her cot before she told her that she would visit her again in the next few days, she then left the clinic with Dina.


	16. The Changing Season

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> Sorry if some of my chapters are boring, I just want to do some random happy moments between Joel and Ellie before the heartbreak begins.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> -The song Bring Me To Life by Evanescence is featured in this chapter.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 16!

Summer - 2036

The day was warm and the sky was cloudy, it was a beautiful day just to lough around in Joel's backyard. Ellie didn't have anything to do today, so she had decided to practice a few songs on her guitar and write a few entries in her journal. She was sitting on a blanket outside of her garage apartment, she was wearing no shoes and she had a glass of orange juice sitting on her guitar case. She strummed her fingers tips against the guitar's strings while she sang softly to herself, she had found some music books on her last group patrol.

*How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find it there and lead it back home*

Ellie continued to sing to herself, she swayed side to side while she played her guitar. She stopped after awhile and wrote something down in her journal, she liked writing down the new songs she was learning. She also wrote about Cat and how she had been learning how to play chess with Maria, but she did write something down about Dina which wasn't very nice.

Dina had been off with her lately, she always made excuses to leave when Cat came to hangout with them in the Tipsy Bison Bar. She had heard from Jesse that Dina didn't like Cat that much, she thought Cat wasn't good enough for Ellie. But Ellie didn't agree with Dina, she loved Cat and she couldn't wait to watch a few movies with her later on while Cat finished off her new tattoo design.

Ellie closed her journal and rested the side of her head against her guitar, she then listened to the sounds around her. She could hear birds chirping and children's voices beyond the backyard's fence, she liked to listen to the community sometimes. She looked over at the back door to Joel's house when she heard it open, she saw Joel and Cat walking through the doorway. She had forgotten Cat was helping Joel in the kitchen to make lunch, this had become a regular thing around here.

" I hope you're hungry." Cat said while she carried a plate of sandwiches down the porches steps. " I think we over did it, we've made about twenty sandwiches."

" It's good job I'm hungry then." Ellie said.

" We were hoping you would say that." Cat said.

Ellie moved over on the blanket so Cat could sit down next to her, she then watch Joel carrying one of his porch chairs over to the blanket with a mug of his beloved coffee in his free hand. She made a joke about Joel being careful in case he broke something, but has always Joel played along with her silly little jokes. He commented about a strange smell in his backyard, he placed his chair down near the blanket and gentle kicked Ellie's foot.

" Move over stinky feet." Joel said.

" Ha-ha, you're hilarious!" Ellie said, she rolled her eyes at him. " Have you ever thought about stand up comedy at the Tipsy Bison? You'd bring the house down."

" I thought it was funny." Cat said.

" You would, I can see a double act coming real soon to the Tispy Bison Bar." Ellie smiled.

" Sign me up for it!" Cat giggled while she took a sandwich from the plate. " I'm willing if Joel is up for it."

" Then sign me up too." Joel said.

" Please don't, it was a joke!" Ellie said.

" We're teasing you Ellie, our jokes are too good for the Tipsy Bison." Cat said.

Ellie playfully pushed Cat away from her, she then crossed her legs and rested her guitar on her knee while she checked the guitar's cords. She ran her finger tips up the cords and Joel gave her a few pointers, she already knew about the cords but she just let him tell her again. She hadn't really been spending much time with Joel lately, she had been busy with patrol training and her art work.

" So, are you up for some patrolling next week with me and Tommy?" Joel asked.

" Sure, we're still going to that old lodge place right?" Ellie asked.

" Yep, it's one of the best patrolling areas on the outskirts of The Jackson Community." Joel replied, he took a sip of his coffee. " There's been a few Infected sightings up that way, we may be away for the night."

" So, it's a camping trip?" Ellie asked.

" Yep, remember to pack your thermals... it's Fall next week." Joel joked.

" You too old man." Ellie smiled.

Ellie turned her attention back to her guitar, she tuned her guitar before she placed it down on the blanket next to her. Joel spoke to Ellie about the little girl she had found last year, he told her he had seen Lara toddling with her new family outside of the nursery this morning. Ellie couldn't help but smile slightly, she had only seen Lara a few times around the community with her new family. She was happy and healthy, Lara's parents had asked Ellie to be her Godmother which she had accepted.

" You'll have to visit her soon, she was asking after you." Joel said.

" Lara or her parents?" Ellie asked.

" Lara, she was asking about Welly." Joel replied with a chuckle. " It's her nickname for you, right?"

" Yeah, she can't say Ellie yet." Ellie replied.

" Well, I think it's cute... Welly." Cat teased.

Ellie rolled her eyes at Cat, she always thought nicknames for people were cute. She had actually given a few nicknames to her friends and neighbours in the community, she secretly called Joel Grizzly Bear because of his beard. That meant Ellie got stuck with the nickname Bear Cub because she was always around Joel, she hated that nickname so much.

" So, what are your plans for today?" Joel asked.

" We were thinking of hanging around here." Ellie replied before she took a sandwich from the plate. " Nothing exciting really, just sunshine and sandwiches. We may catch a movie later at the theatre, I've heard they're having a cheesy 80s movie marathon."

" It will do you good to get out more, it beats sitting around here all day." Joel said.

" Why don't you come with us." Cat said.

" It's mighty kind of you to offer, but I've got plans this evening." Joel said.

" Doing what exactly?" Ellie asked, she took a bite of her sandwich. " Knitting or reading? Oh! I know, you're going to learn how to cook right?"

" Ellie, don't be rude..." Cat sighed.

" What? I'm curious." Ellie smiled.

" Now wouldn't you like to know." Joel said with a slight chuckle. " A gentleman never tells, my business is my own."

" Dude, you're totally making me curious now!" Ellie said.

" Maybe I should keep you guessing, but if you ladies would excuse me..." Joel said while he got up from his chair. " I've got something in the oven, I'll be back soon."

" Joel, don't leave us hanging!" Ellie said.

Ellie watched Joel walking towards the house, she groaned with frustration when he waved to her before he entered his house. Cat couldn't help but laugh at Ellie, she thought it was hilarious when Joel teased Ellie. Ellie told Cat to shut up before she placed her half eaten sandwich back on the plate, she then picked up her guitar and continued to practice the song she was learning to play.

*******************

A Week Later

Fall - 2036

The leaves were falling from the trees, the season of Fall was creeping across the country. It wasn't that cold yet which was good, but Ellie enjoyed the changing seasons. She loved nothing more than sketching the changing landscapes and collecting pinecones for Christmas, the children in The Jackson Community liked making Christmas tree decorations with them. It was cute, it lifted the spirits in the community.

Ellie was on group patrol with Tommy and Joel, they were going to spend the night at a old ski lodge in the area. Ellie was enjoying her patrol with them, Tommy had let her have a go of his snipper rifle and he gave her some tips while she took out a few stragglers has Tommy called them. But the day soon turned from fun to deadly, she had no idea what would happen when she went to explore the Music Store not far away from the lodge with Joel.

They never got that far since the route Tommy and Joel used had changed, they use to swim to the little town before it had been drained of it's water. They had no other choice but to cut through an old abandon hotel, it was going fine until they bumped into some Infected. It had been a tough journey through the hotel, they had fought off a Bloater and somehow found their way through the hotel without any trouble after that incident.

Ellie and Joel decided to abandoned their mission for the guitar strings, but they stumbled upon something they hadn't been looking for in this rotting hotel. Ellie had heard about the missing couple who had left the community last year, they basically had packed some supplies and disappeared into the unknown. It turned out that they wanted to help others, but it seemed like they hadn't made it that far. They had ended up getting bitten and one had to shoot the other, it seemed like they had ended it all in this hotel.

Adam and Sidney were their names, Ellie had found a letter that they had both written before their deaths. Adam had let himself turn, luckily for Ellie Joel had been on hand to save her from the Infected Adam's attack. They went to fetch Tommy after their discovery, they returned to the hotel and collected the bodies before they returned back to the ski lodge.

It was getting late so they would have to leave at first light, they had laid Adam and Sidney's bodies in an outdoor area until the morning. But for now they were sheltering in the lodge, it was cosy and Tommy had told Ellie that he always liked patrolling in this area because the views from the lodge were stunning. He was right, the lodge must have been very fancy and expensive to stay at back in the day.

Ellie was sitting on one of the circle couches with her blanket drapped over her shoulders, the fire was roaring not far away from her in this circle fireplace Tommy had lit not long ago. She rested her feet against the side of the fireplace while she wrote in her journal, she was writing about today's events and the conversation she had with Joel about the Flyflies.

Joel told Ellie the same old story, there was no cure for this infection. It made her wonder about the so called other immune people, were they out there or was she the only one? She had so many questions, but she had been unconscious the whole time she had been at the hospital. She needed to find out more about her time at the hospital, she was going to have to find the answers for herself.

Ellie sighed to herself and closed her journal before she put it in her backpack, she would have to look more into the hospital's location when she returned back to Jackson. But for now she was going to relax and keep warm by the fireplace until supper was ready, she wanted to switch off for the next few hours. Joel soon approached Ellie and sat down next to her, he then warmed his hands in front of the fireplace.

" Are you okay, kiddo?" Joel asked.

" I'm good." Ellie replied, she looked at Joel. " Just thinking about stuff..."

" Would you like to talk about it?" Joel asked.

Ellie shook her head at Joel and turned her attention back to the fireplace, she didn't want to argue with Joel after today events. She wanted to know more about St Mary's Hospital and what happened there, but Joel didn't want to tell her much about it. She remained quiet until Tommy brought them some supper, he had toasted some bread over the fireplace and warmed up the stew Maria had made for them on a camping stove.

" Grubs up!" Tommy said.

" Thanks Tommy." Ellie said, she took one of the bowls from him. " It smells delicious, I'm guessing this is one of Maria's recipes."

" You guessed right." Tommy said.

" Tommy can't make stew, he use to burn the bottom of the saucepan back in Texas." Joel said with a chuckle before he spooned some stew into his mouth. " Not to mention he always added too much salt."

" Now you see why I've gotten married." Tommy said, he sat down on the couch. " I've got my own personal chef."

" I'll tell Maria that you said that..." Ellie said.

" Please don't, I've been in the doghouse enough lately." Tommy smiled.

" She's still angry about group patrol training incident, right?" Ellie asked.

" You've just hit the nail on the head, she'll get over it soon enough." Tommy replied.

" But it's been a year..." Ellie said.

" She holds grudges." Tommy sighed.

Ellie relaxed on the couch and spooned some of the stew into her mouth, it had the little mushrooms in it which she loved. Joel and Tommy spoke to each other while Ellie ate her food, they were talking about the missing couple's bodies. Ellie was going to have to ride with Joel, they needed to use Shimmer to transport the bodies back to Jackson.

Ellie rested her spoon against her bottom lip while she listened to them talking, her thoughts were all over the place right now. She couldn't stop thinking about the Fireflies and the hospital, she just wanted some god damn answers. She finished her stew and got up from the couch, she told Joel she was going to check on the horses.

" Alright, just be careful out there." Joel said.

" Yeah, yeah..." Ellie said

Ellie left Tommy and Joel by the fireplace, she placed her empty bowl on the table where the camping stove was before she left the lodge. She closed the door behind her and stretched her hands above her head while she walked over to the horses, their reins were tied to a wooden fence. Tommy had setup a trap of barbed wire with empty cans hanging from it, he had tied it between the only opening to the lodge area. It was hard to see the barbed wire in the dark, it would keep the infected out while they rested up and alert them if anyone was trespassing in this area.

" Hey Shimmer." Ellie said.

Ellie approach Shimmer and rested her hand on her horse's neck, her faithful horse was happy to see her. She nudged her owners arm and nayed softly, she was a gentle horse. Ellie rested her forehead against Shimmer's neck, she spoke to her about today events and told her they would be going on a little adventure soon. She sometimes spoke to her horse when she had a lot on her mind, she often wondered if Shimmer understood her.

" Penny for your thoughts?" Tommy asked.

Ellie jumped and reached for her hunting knife, she was relieved when she saw Tommy standing not far away from her with a mug in his hand. She swore at him and called him a dick, he had scared the living daylights out of her. Tommy apologised to Ellie and offered her his mug, she took from him before she leaned back against the fence. She watched the steam overflowing from the mug, she knew why Tommy was here.

" Did Joel send you out here to check up on me?" Ellie asked.

" Nope." Tommy replied.

" I know you're lying, what did Joel say to you?" Ellie asked.

" I don't know what's going on with you two, but you need to sort it out." Tommy replied, he crossed his arms with a sigh. " You could cut the tension in the lodge with a butter knife, what happened out there?"

" Just a silly argument, nothing too serious..." Ellie replied.

" Ellie, you know you can talk to me." Tommy said.

" It's just..." Ellie sighed before she continued to speak. " Joel won't tell me anything about the Flyflies, he's always secretive about them. I just want to know what happened at the hospital, I know there's no cure for this infection. I just want to know more about the tests and the other immune people, but Joel says there's nothing else to know..."

" Maybe you should listen to him, he was there after all." Tommy said.

" I know that, but there's got to be more to this..." Ellie said.

" Okay, you're probably right." Tommy said while he took a few steps towards her. " But there's somethings out there that we'll never understand, maybe it's best you just leave some questions unanswered."

" It's not a bad thing wanting to know the truth, right?" Ellie asked.

" Nope, that's not a bad thing at all." Tommy replied, he sighed to himself before he spoke again. " Listen Ellie, I don't want to get involved in this little disagreement between you and my Brother. He cares about you, we both do. I don't want you getting hurt, I just think it's best to forget about the Flyflies..."

" I can't just forget about them, they were my only fucking hope once!" Ellie said.

" I know, what I mean is just let the dust settle for now." Tommy said. " I think you'll get your answers someday, but for now just bide your time and be patient. Don't go rushing into things, the information you seek will just fall into your lap someday."

" Since when did you get all wise?" Ellie asked.

" I've been reading War and Peace, it's an interesting read." Tommy replied, he glanced over his shoulder at the lodge. " I'm heading back inside now, don't be too long out here... it's getting chilly."

" Okay." Ellie said.

Ellie cupped her hands around the mug while she watched Tommy walking back to the lodge, she knew he would be on Joel's side. She sighed deeply to herself and took a sip of the hot drink, she was going to have to find the answers to her questions for herself.


	17. St Mary's Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> Sorry if some of my chapters are boring, I just want to do some random happy moments between Joel and Ellie before the heartbreak begins.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 17!

Three Weeks Later

Ellie had waited a few weeks before she made her move to find out about where St Mary's Hospital was located, she used some maps from the community's library to find the hospitals location. It was a straight forward route and it wasn't that far from Jackson, she jotted down some highways though just in case she got lost.

Ellie had packed some sandwiches and some extra ammunition for her rifle, she made sure she had a canister of water with her. She took her journal with her too, it was something she liked to do now when she ventured outside of The Jackson Community. She managed to sneak out of the community with her horse Shimmer, luckily for her the guard who was meant to be on watch had fallen asleep at his post.

Ellie basically had rode Shimmer out of The Jackson Community's gates and into the unknown, she ventured forward without a second thought about Joel worrying about her. She knew she would be in trouble with Joel when he found out that she was gone, but she had left him a letter to reassure him that she would be okay. She wanted to find out the answers to her questions, this was the only way she would get them.

When she arrived at St Mary's Hospital she left Shimmer by a campfire she had made, she told her horse not to wander too far. She ventured forward and looked up at the abandoned building while she walked, it was overgrown with plants and there was still evidence that the military had been presence once at this hospital. She walked up some steps and opened a glass door, it was pitch black inside the building.

" Here goes nothing..." Ellie said.

Ellie entered the building and she let the door close behind her, she then turned her clip on torch on. The hospital's corridors were dark and eerie, the place had been abandoned years ago by the looks of it. Dried blood stained some of the corridor's floors and walls, there was even the odd empty bullet shells on the floor. There were broken windows and scattered glass across the floor, the odd plant was growing through cracks in the walls. There were rooms full of boxes and medical equipment, it was disheartening to see so much medical equipment going to waste.

Ellie kept her rifle close and her eyes peeled while she ventured forward, she had no idea if there was any Infected people around here. It was quiet, too quiet for her liking. She shone her clip on torch onto a sign and noticed the word Pediatric, this was the right place. She peered through a connecting door's window before she opened it, she entered another corridor and ventured forward. She checked out one side room, there was nothing but boxes and a hospital bed. She kept moving forward until she reached one room, it looked like an office.

Opening the door she walked into the office, it looked like it had been hardly touched since the Flyflies had left this place. There was a desk and a couch, she also noticed a beautiful painting of a Chinese lady behind a box. She looked around the office and found some notes, there was a pictures of an arm with a rash on it. This hardly meant anything to Ellie, she left the office and carried on walking down the corridor.

Ellie looked at the wall while she walked forward, there was paintings on the wall of a seaside scene. She turned left into another corridor, the door to that corridor was barricaded with a hospital bed and some boxes. She noticed a side door and opened it slowly, it looked like a prepping area for doctors before they went into surgery.

Entering the room a rat scurried passed her, she watched it leave the room. There was a scrub sink below a window and paper towels scattered across the floor, the windows of the room were covered with blinds. She opened another door and walked into what looked like an operating theatre, there was a table in the middle of the room.

" This has to be the place..." Ellie muttered.

Ellie closed the door behind her and shone her clip on torch around the room, it smelt musky. There was dried blood stains on the floor, it seemed like something bad had happened in here. She walked around the room and looked inside many boxes, she wasn't really sure what she was looking for in this room. She noticed a duffle bag near a cabinet and knelt in from of it, there was a Flyflies symbol on the bag.

Unzipping the bag Ellie rummaged around inside of it, there was a shirt and a pair of jeans inside of the bag. They looked familiar, she had seen these clothes once before. But her hand brushed up against something metal, it turned out to be a handheld recorder. It was still working, she pressed the play button on it and listened to the recording.

The recording turned out to be some kind of medical notes, the woman's voice sounded familiar too. The woman on the recording spoke about a smuggler and a girl, Ellie guessed that the smuggler was Joel. The woman spoke about going after them and seeing if they could find any other immune people, but the woman said the only person who could develop a vaccine was dead. Ellie didn't understand what she meant by that, but now she had some information that may answer some of her questions.

***********************

A Few Days Later

Ellie lay on her bed, her heart was broken. She was still trying to process what had happened at St Mary's Hospital, she couldn't believe that Joel had been lying to her for all of these years. Everything he had ever told her was just a lie, the trust she had for him was now gone. She loved him still, but she couldn't forgive him for what he had done.

Joel's words had destroyed her, if it wasn't for him she may have helped to find a cure for the infection. He had saved her, but at what cost? Everything was a mess, she had no idea how she would be able to live with this knowledge that she could have saved many people, her death could have found a cure.

Ellie sniffled and rolled onto her side before she cuddled against one of her pillows, she just wanted to be alone. The curtains in her garage apartment were closed, she didn't even want to look at Joel's house. Her eyes were sore due to all of the crying she had done, she hadn't even slept that much since she found out the truth. Everything was up in air, she just wanted to leave The Jackson Community and hide away from the world.

There was a knock at the door, she told whoever was at the door to go away. But the door soon opened and Cat stepped into the garage apartment, she told Ellie that it was only her. Ellie told Cat to close the door, she didn't want the outside world to see her right now. Cat closed the door behind her, she walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ellie.

Cat had been checking up on Ellie everyday, she made sure she was eating and she comforted her when she was crying. She had even seen Joel sitting on the back porch of his house, she had told Ellie that Joel was heartbroken too. But Ellie didn't care, she didn't want to see him or talk to him anytime soon.

" Hey sweetie." Cat said.

" Hey..." Ellie said.

" How are you feeling?" Cat asked, she tucked some of Ellie's hair behind her ear while she smiled at her girlfriend. " Do you want something to eat?"

" I'm not hungry..." Ellie replied.

" You've got to eat something, you need to keep your strength up." Cat said.

" I'm fine." Ellie said.

" No you're not, you're still upset..." Cat said with a sigh. " What happened between you and Joel? You can talk to me Ellie, let me help you."

" It's nothing, I don't want to talk about it." Ellie replied.

" Okay sweetie, but let me fix you something to eat." Cat said.

" Sure, you can do that..." Ellie said.

Cat kissed the top of Ellie's head before she went to make her some lunch, she told Ellie that she would run her a bath and sort her some clean clothes out. Ellie wasn't going to argue with Cat, she sat up in her bed and ran her fingers through her hair. She hadn't changed her clothes or showered in days, she felt disgusting.

" Hey, can we finish my tattoo today?" Ellie asked.

" Sure, but all my tattoo equipment is at my house." Cat replied while she filled a saucepan up with cold water. " We can go to mine if you like, my Mom would love to see you again. You could stay for the night, a change of scene may do you some good."

" Yeah, that sounds good..." Ellie said.

" Go and get cleaned up, I'll make you some toast and tea." Cat said.

Ellie swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got to her feet, she felt drained. Cat had put the saucepan of water on the stove and took a loaf of bread from a cake tin, she then took a knife from a draw. She smiled at Ellie before she began to slice the loaf, she told Ellie that she would be with her in a few minutes. Ellie told Cat she was going to have a shower instead of a bath, it would be quicker.

" Take your time, there's no need to rush." Cat said.

Ellie thanked Cat and walked to the bathroom, she then closed the door to the bathroom behind her. She turned the shower on while she got undressed, her clothes were stinky and dirty. She threw them into a basket and climbed into the bathtub, the water wasn't too hot. She ran her fingers through her air and rubbed her hands over her face, she just wanted to forget everything that had happened in the last few days.

After she was done she stepped out of the bathtub and wrapped a towel around herself, it wasn't long until Cat brought her some clean clothes. Ellie quickly got changed into her clothes and tied her damp hair up into a ponytail, she then left the bathroom. Cat was buttering some toast with a knife, she smiled at Ellie and told her that she had made her some tea.

" It's on the coffee table, no milk and half a sugar." Cat said.

" Thanks." Ellie said.

Ellie walked over to the couch and sat down on it, she picked her mug of tea up from the coffee table while she leaned back against the couch. She sighed to herself and wrapped her hands around her mug, her thoughts soon turned back to Joel. He had tried to talk to her a few times since the incident, but she told him to fuck off before she slammed her apartment's door in his face. That made things worse though, she soon had Maria and Tommy on her case.

Cat placed the plate of toast on Ellie's lap before she kissed her girlfriend's check, she told her that she would go and make the bed. Ellie told her that she didn't have to do that for her, but Cat said she wanted to do it. Cat went to make the bed, she was such a cleaning freak at times. Cat open one of the windows near the bed, she drew back the window's curtains and peered through it.

" Joel is sitting on his porch, do you want me to go and speak with him?" Cat asked, she turned around to face her girlfriend. " I can asked him to go back inside if you want, you know so we can go out."

" It's fine, we can use the back door." Ellie replied.

" Wait, you have a back door?" Cat asked.

" Yep, the garage door opens." Ellie said before she took a big bite of her of toast. " It's a tight squeeze since it doesn't open all the way, but we can get out that way."

" Ellie, you can't hide from Joel forever." Cat said.

" I know, but I'll give it a good shot for now." Ellie said.

Ellie ate the rest of her toast while Cat tidied the garage apartment, she got up from the couch and brushed the crumbs away from her shirt. Cat took the plate from Ellie and returned it to the kitchen, she then told Ellie she was ready to go. Ellie grabbed her coat from her coat peg, she put it on while she walked over to the garage's door.

" The garage handle is behind the couch." Ellie said while she moved the coffee table away from the couch. " I've just got to move it, give me a few seconds."

" Do you need any help there Wonder Woman?" Cat asked.

" Sure thing Batgirl, make yourself useful." Ellie replied.

" You're such dork." Cat smiled.

" Looks who's talking, you're a mega dork!" Ellie smiled.

Cat wrapped her arms around Ellie and squeezed her tightly, she laughed when Ellie pushed her away. After that Cat helped Ellie move the couch away from the garage door, the gap wasn't that big but they would both be able to squeeze through it. Ellie turned the garage handle and pushed the door open, it squeaked until it jammed into one positioned. Ellie went first, she rolled underneath the garage's door while Cat watched her.

" Wow, look at those moves!" Cat smiled.

" You're next, remember to breath in and roll." Ellie joked.

" And you say my jokes are bad." Cat giggled.

" Shut up." Ellie smiled.

Ellie got to her feet and told Cat to hurry up, she didn't want Joel to see them. Cat got onto her knees before she peered through the gap at Ellie, she then crawled through the gap. Cat got to her feet and brushed some dirt away from her jeans while Ellie closed the garage door, the door squeaked has she closed it. Ellie made sure garage was locked, she didn't want anyone stealing any of her stuff.

" Let's get out of here." Ellie said.

Ellie and Cat hurried together along the street, they turned left into another street and jumped onto the sidewalk. Cat slowed down and Ellie walked ahead of her, she couldn't help but tease Cat about her being out of breath already. Her girlfriend soon caught up with her, they linked arms while they spoke together about finishing the tattoo design on Ellie's arm.


	18. Random Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> Sorry if some of my chapters are boring, I just want to do some random happy moments between Joel and Ellie before the heartbreak begins.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 18!

Winter - 2036

Ellie watched the snow falling from the sky, it had only started snowing this morning. The streets of the community weren't snowed under just yet, so most of the store owners were busy before the snow settled. It was like this every year when it began to snow, the next couple of months were going to be busy for everyone.

Normally the food stocks would last until Spring, but the harvest months hadn't been that great for some reason. The greenhouses fruits were in bloom has always, but half of the potatoes and carrots had grown rotten. It was going to be tough for the next few months, but they would manage somehow. They still had rice and pickled vegetables, they would have to hunt more to keep everyone fed.

Ellie watched a horse drawn cart moving down the street, it was delivering some goods to one of the community stores. She was sitting on some steps outside of the Tipsy Bison Bar, she had a lot on her mind right now. She had an argument with Cat about a week ago, they were having a little break from each other. It was mostly Ellie's fault, she had been suffering with depression for months after she learnt the truth about St Mary's hospital from Joel.

Ellie's breath lingered in the air while she sighed deeply to herself, she crossed her arms and looked over at the Butchers across the street. She was waiting for Jesse, they were going to check on some traps near the community. The butcher was cutting up some meat from a Wild Boar, there was about five Hares hanging upside by the store's window and she could see a woman serving a man inside the store.

Jesse soon turned up at the Tipsy Bison, he had his rifle with him and a packet of broken up sugar cookies. He smiled at Ellie and sat down next to her on the step, he told her that the other hunting parties had already left the community. She didn't answer him though, she wasn't in much of a talkative mood. Jesse nudged Ellie's arm before he spoke to her again, she looked at him while she rubbed at her nose.

" Not in much of a talkative mood, huh?" Jesse asked.

" You've got that right." Ellie replied.

" It's okay, I know you and Cat are having issues right now." Jesse said, he rested his hand on her arm. " It will work out, just give her some space."

" That's the plan..." Ellie sighed.

" Hang in there, things will get better." Jesse said.

" I guess you're an expert in love, how many times have you and Dina split up now?" Ellie asked.

" Four times, but we always end up back together." Jesse replied, he patted her arm before he got up from the step. " Let's get moving, those traps won't check themselves."

Ellie sighed and got up from the step, she then walked with Jesse down the street. They were going to be travelling by foot today, the traps were only in the Woodlands outside of The Jackson Community. They cut through the stables and headed towards the main entrance of the community, they were then let out by one of the outpost men.

Jesse took the lead and guided Ellie along the pathway, the snow wasn't that deep yet. The Woodlands were peaceful, they could hear the odd bird tweeting in the treetops above them. Ellie stopped for a moment when she reached the top of the pathway, she looked over her shoulder and took in the view of The Jackson Community.

Ellie had once sketched The Jackson Community from this very pathway, it looked beautiful throughout all of the seasons. Her attention was soon caught by Jesse's voice, he told her to stop daydreaming. She apologised to him and moved forward, she soon caught up with him. They didn't speak that much until they reached the trap area, Ellie wasn't in much of a talkative mood still.

" I'll check these traps." Jesse said, he looked at Ellie. " You can check the traps near the stream."

" Okay." Ellie said.

" Be careful out there." Jesse said.

" You too." Ellie said.

Ellie left Jesse and made her way to the stream, when she got there she stopped by a tree. She checked out her surroundings before she ventured forward again, it wasn't long until she found the traps. There was two Hares caught in two of the traps, it was better than nothing in these times. She crouched in front of the traps and rested her hand on one of the Hare's side, they were stone cold dead.

Ellie freed the Hares and tied their legs together with some rope, she then reset the traps. Her attention was soon drawn back to the stream, it was so peaceful out here. The sound of the trickling water and the bird's songs in the treetops above her brightened her mood slightly, it was nice getting out of the community sometimes.

Ellie checked the traps one last time before she got to her feet, she picked up the Hares and made her way back to Jesse. The snow wasn't easing, they would have to head back to the community soon before it got worse. She soon found Jesse, he was resetting some traps. He had one Hare lying on the ground next to him, it wasn't a great hunt but three Hares was better than nothing.

Jesse got to his feet and picked the Hare up by it's ears, he then beckoned Ellie to follow him. She followed after him and they soon returned back the the pathway which lead to The Jackson Community, the snow was getting thick now. Jesse told Ellie he would do anything right now for a hot drink and a steak sandwich, he asked her if she would care to join him at the Tipsy Bison after they got back home.

" I'm good, maybe some other time." Ellie said.

" Are you blowing me off because you want to mope over Cat?" Jesse asked.

" No, it's just..." Ellie replied with a sigh. " I've just got a lot of things going on right now."

" But one of those things is about Cat, right?" Jesse asked.

" Yeah, but there's other things too." Ellie replied.

Jesse stopped Ellie with his hand, he looked concerned for his friend. He told Ellie if she needed to talk he was here for her, he didn't want to see her upset. Ellie sighed to herself and walked over to a log, she sat down on it. Jesse soon joined her side and crossed his arms, he told Ellie that he had seen Joel before they left the community.

" Your old man was giving me grief today." Jesse said, he looked at his friend and smiled at her. " Apparently I've got to watch you like a hawk while we're checking the traps, he worries about you. We all do, even Dina."

" I've not spoken to Dina for months..." Ellie said.

" She care for you, Ellie." Jesse said.

" Yeah, yeah..." Ellie said.

" It's true!" Jesse said.

" So, what did Joel say?" Ellie asked.

" The usual stuff, make sure she stays out of trouble and take the safest routes..." Jesse said, he chuckled slightly and looked along the pathway. " I don't know what's happened between you and Joel, but it's making me feel uneasy. You're both miserable, it's not right."

" That old chestnut..." Ellie said.

" Come on, Ellie. What's going on with you guys?" Jesse asked.

" It's private, you wouldn't understand if I told you about it anyway..." Ellie replied.

" Alright, have it your own way." Jesse said.

" Look Jesse, I appreciate your concern for me." Ellie said while she looked at him. " But there's somethings I've to work out for myself, me and Joel have some issues right now."

" Look at you, you're the issue girl." Jesse smiled.

" Shut up." Ellie smiled.

" The offer still stands if you want to join me for that drink." Jesse said with a smile. " We don't have to talk, you can keep me company."

" Fine, but no pickles on my steak sandwich." Ellie said.

" Of course, I know pickles make you gassy." Jesse chuckled.

" Oh ha-ha! You're hilarious..." Ellie smiled.

Ellie laughed slightly and playful punched Jesse's arm, she knew he was only trying to cheer her up. He was a good friend to Ellie, one of her best friends since she first moved to Jackson with Joel. Jesse told Ellie they should get moving, the snow was beginning to come down heavier now. She got up from the log and brushed some snow away from her backside, they then walked back to the community together.

*****************

Summer - 2037

Things had improved for Ellie over the last few months, she was now eighteen and her relationship with Cat was back on. They had worked through their problems, but her Joel issues were still there. She had been avoiding Joel for months now, she saw him now and again around Jackson. She had spent an awkward Christmas with Joel, Tommy and Maria. It had been awful, she kept it civil with Joel for Tommy and Maria's sake.

Ellie stayed with Cat sometimes, her Mom was always welcoming. The change of scene had been doing her good, but sometimes she had to stay at home because she had some early mornings due to patrols. She was now ready for pair patrols, she loved patrolling with Jesse and sometimes Tommy. Dina had started talking to her again, but she still kept her distance from Ellie when she was with Cat.

Ellie was going fishing today with Tommy, he wanted to spend some time with her. She knew the real reason behind it though, he was trying to get Ellie back on speaking terms with Joel. She had told him that she wasn't ready for that yet, but he was worried about Joel's mental health. She cared for Joel deeply, but after everything that had happened last year it was getting harder for her to fix her relationship with Joel.

Tommy had already set up his fishing gear, he had been fishing since early morning. Ellie had shown up a few hours later, she had overslept once again. It was becoming a bad habit of hers lately, she really needed to sort out her sleeping pattern. She set up her fishing gear and cast a line, she then sat down next to Tommy. She yawned loudly and wiped her nose on her hoody sleeve, she was still tired.

" It looks like someone needs an early night." Tommy said.

" Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night." Ellie replied.

" A penny for your thoughts?" Tommy asked.

" I've got a purse full, but I'm keeping my pennies to myself today." Ellie said.

" Have it your way then." Tommy said.

Ellie looked over at the pond, she watched dragon flies playing on the surface and she even swore she saw a few ripples forming near some pond plants. She could see a gap in the wall where the pond life entered the community, the pond connected to a river not that far away from the community. The day was hot and the sky was blue, it was days like these where she wished she was out swimming with Cat. But she had made a promise to Tommy, she didn't want to cancel on him because she actually liked spending time with him.

" So, what kind of fish comes from the river these days?" Ellie asked, she looked at Tommy and rested her chin on her hand. " It's been awhile since I've fished here, I normally fish outside of the community these days with Cat."

" Well, mostly cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish." Tommy replied before he checked his lure and casted his line " Sometimes brown trout, all the best fishing holes are outside the community. Some breeds of fish don't make their way to the pond..."

" You mean chinook salmon and lake trout, right?" Ellie asked.

" You know your fish." Tommy replied.

" Joel taught me..." Ellie said.

" Speaking of Joel, when are planning on speaking to him again?" Tommy asked.

" I don't know..." Ellie replied.

" C'mon Ellie, the silence is killing my big Brother." Tommy sighed.

" It's not that easy, things have happened..." Ellie said.

" A lot of things have happened, can't you just say hello to him now and again?" Tommy asked, he looked at her. " You know let the water flow underneath the bridge."

" The Beavers have made a dam, it's not going to happen just yet." Ellie replied.

" You're both stubborn has each other, it's like trying to get blood from a stone!" Tommy said.

Ellie rolled her eyes at Tommy and turned her gaze away from him, he was being nosy again. He probably knew about the argument she had with Joel at St Mary's Hospital, she knew Joel and Tommy spent a lot of time together on pair patrols. Her attention was soon drawn to her bobbing lure, her eyes grew wide when the lure was dragged beneath the surface.

" Holy Shit!" Ellie yelled.

Ellie jumped to her feet and took hold of her fishing rod, she began to reel the line in with the guidance of Tommy. He told her to keep the line steady while he got his net, she told him okay while she continued to fight with his unknown fish. Tommy soon returned with his net, he lowered his net into the water and told Ellie to reel it in.

" Keep it steady!" Tommy said.

" What do you think I'm fucking trying to do?!" Ellie asked.

" Steady, steady..." Tommy said.

Ellie continued to reel the fish in, the fish emerged from the pond and wriggled around before it dived back into water. It was medium sized, but it would feed at least two people. Ellie's tongue poked from the side of her mouth, her gaze was focused on the task at hand. The fish was getting closer to the embankment of the pond, she told Tommy to get ready to catch it.

" Here it comes!" Tommy said.

Ellie reeled the fish in one more time before Tommy managed to catch it in his fishing net, the fish was going wild. Ellie hurried to Tommy's side while he took the fish from the water and carried it to dry land. It wasn't too big, but it looked fat and healthy. She carefully unhooked her fishing hook from it's mouth, it continued to wriggle around until Tommy threw it into his fishing box.

" It looks like a lake trout, about 2kgs or maybe 3kgs." Ellie said, she peered into the box before she looked at Tommy. " What do you think?"

" I think you're right, what a beaut!" Tommy said.

" Yeah, I think we should make fish skewers tonight." Ellie said.

" Is that an open invitation for dinner?" Tommy asked.

" Nope, I was hoping Maria would cook it for me." Ellie replied.

" You're eighteen now, Ellie." Tommy said with a smile. " Don't you think it's time you learnt how to cook?"

" I can cook, you know stir porridge and stuff." Ellie replied, she leaned on her fishing rod and smiled at Tommy. " Sometimes I'm good with seasoning, I can make sandwiches though. I can heat up stews in the oven, I'll survive... somehow."

" You're more like Joel than you think, his cooking skills have rubbed off on you." Tommy said.

" Please don't say that..." Ellie said.

Tommy chuckled and shook his head at Ellie, he told her he would arrange a cooking class with Maria for her next week. Ellie told Tommy she could just take the fish to the Tipsy Bison Bar, she could just ask Seth cook it for her. Even better Cat's Mom knew her way around the kitchen, her cooking skills were legendary when it came to fish dishes.

" C'mon now, let's catch some more fish." Tommy said.

" Sure." Ellie said.

Tommy closed the boxes lid and walked back to the pond, he soon settled down with his fishing rod. Ellie rehooked her fishing lure before she joined Tommy at the pond, she casted out her line and waited patiently for something to bite.


	19. A Day Without Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> I'm beginning the heartbreak parts now, I'm not going to cover everything in the game. I have ideas about flashbacks and Ellie's journey to find Abby, I'll even write about the farm. We'll see where these ideas go, maybe I'll try to give Ellie some kind of an happy ending.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 19!

Winter - 2038

So much had changed for Ellie over the last few months, she had experience a world of heartbreak and pain. She had broken up with Cat for good this time, they had tried to make things work but since she had found out about the lies Joel had told her she had become a changed woman. She had become distance and sometimes moody with Cat, she didn't wanted to upset her anymore.

Cat still wanted to be friends with Ellie, but for now they were going to stay away from each other. But things changed again at the community's barn dance, she was left confused after Dina had kissed her on the dance floor. The kiss they had shared had caused trouble with the local bar keeper, if it wasn't for Maria stepping in there would have been a fight between Joel and Seth.

Joel would have killed Seth if Tommy and Maria hadn't have stepped in to calm the situation, they had taken Seth outside to get some fresh air. Ellie had seen first hand what Joel could do to others, she herself was capable of causing some damage to others too. But Ellie hated that Joel had stepped into defend her, he was still interfering in her life and being overprotective. It was enough that he was giving Jesse a hard time about her patrols, she couldn't hold back her anger this time.

Ellie had argued with Joel, she had said some harsh things to him. But Ellie felt some guilt after Joel had left the barn dance, he looked so hurt. She loved Joel still and she wanted things to get back to normal between them, but her stubbornness always got in the way. She had left the barn dance not long after Joel, she needed to speak with him in private.

Ellie had taken the long way home, she needed to clear her head before she spoke with Joel. She dragged her feet through the snow until she reached the street where Joel lived, the street was quiet and lights shone through the darkness from building's windows. It wasn't long until she was near his house, she could see Joel sitting on his chair on the porch. She could hear him playing his guitar, he soon stopped playing though when she walked up the porches steps. He got up from his chair and took his hot drink from the floor, he smiled at her when she approached him.

They spoke about what happened at the barn dance, she wanted Joel to understand that she wasn't a kid anymore. He accepted that and questioned her about her relationship with Dina, she herself was unsure about their relationship. Ellie was surprised how excepting Joel was about Dina, he was actually calm about it. Maybe they could fix their friendship, she was happy that they had spoken about tonight's events.

Ellie told Joel she would see him around, she had noticed that he was actually crying a little before she left him. She headed back to her garage apartment and locked the door behind her, she felted less stressed which was a good thing. It was going to take time for everything to get back to normal between her and Joel, but this was the fresh start that they both needed.

Grabbing her journal from the coffee table Ellie settled down in front of her desk, she switched the desk lamp on and took a pencil from a pot. She opened her journal and tapped her pencil against the blank page, she had a lot things to write about tonight. She wrote about the barn dance and how Joel had jumped to her aid when Seth had used some homophobic insults because Dina had kissed her. She actually felt grateful that Joel had her back, she was going to try her best with him from now on.

**************************

The Baldwin Mansion

The moment Jesse had told Ellie that Tommy and Joel hadn't returned from their patrol she felt fear for the first time in a long time, she knew something was wrong. It wasn't like them to not be replaced by another patrol group, something must have happened to them. Jesse told Ellie where Joel and Tommy were patrolling, he hadn't searched all of their patrol area yet.

They decided to split up and search solo for them, Ellie took the east part of their patrol route while her friends searched the other areas. This way they could cover the area more quickly and find them before it got dark, the time was of the essence. They left Eugene's basement and headed out on their horses, the weather was hazardous.

The snow was coming down heavy, the route Ellie was taking would bring her to the old Baldwin Mansion. She called out Joel and Tommy's names, but the wind was drowned out her voice. It was cold, bitterly cold. Ellie shivered has she rode forward on Shimmer, the snow was getting thick in some parts due to the blizzard. Her horse was feeling the cold too, the snow was getting deep around Shimmer's legs.

" Easy Shimmer..." Ellie said.

Ellie halted Shimmer and scoped out her snowy surroundings, she could see some lights from the mansion's window a few miles ahead of her. She encouraged Shimmer to move on, they rode forward and made their way around the mansion so they wouldn't be seen. She stopped Shimmer near some trees and ventured forward in the snow by foot, her pistol at hand just in case she needed to defend herself.

" Joel!' Ellie yelled while she looked around the woods. " Tommy!"

The mansion looked enormous, it looked empty from the outside. She could see a light coming from the large window at the front of the mansion, she kept on moving forward and found a way through a broken fence. Ellie kept her guard up has she hurried across the roof top of the building, she jumped across to a balcony and made her way to a side door. The side door to the balcony was open, she entered the building and checked out her new surroundings.

The room was dark, she was surprised to see all of the furniture was still in this mansion. She crept through the different rooms of the building and found a box of bullets for her pistol, she soon stumbled upon a small camp of sleeping bags inside one room. She could hear someone crying out in pain, there were raised voices and arguments coming from somewhere around the mansion.

Ellie kept on moving forward, she opened a door and found a staircase. She hurried down them with her pistol in her hand, she could hear groans coming from the other side of the door. She slowly opened the door while she took a deep breath, the sight that greeted her was horrific. Joel was lying on the floor, his face was covered in blood and a large woman was standing over him with a golf club in her hands.

" No..." Ellie muttered.

Ellie entered the room with her pistol aimed towards the woman, but without any warning she was attacked by a man. She took a swipe at him with her penknife, another man managed to trackle Ellie to the ground and a woman helped to secure her into one place. She struggled and tired to get away from them, but she was out numbered.

" Get off me!" Ellie yelled.

" Get her hands!" The woman said.

" Get the fuck off me!" Ellie yelled.

One of the men that attacked Ellie kicked her more than once, he was then pulled away from her by another man. Pain was all Ellie could feel right now, she watched another man enter the room. He spoke to the large woman and told her to end this, Ellie couldn't do anything but watch the horrible scene unfolding in front of her eyes. She had found Joel and Tommy, but the situation she had found them in was troublesome.

Ellie had tried to stop these unknown people, but they were ready for her. They had quickly stopped her and secured her in one place, she begged them to stop. She watched the final blow which ended Joel's life, she screamed his name and sobbed her heart out for him. He had been murdered by this unknown woman for no reason, she would get revenge for her fallen Father figure. She memorised their faces and names, she listened to everything they said before they turned their attention to her.

" I'm going to fucking kill you!" Ellie said.

The voices around Ellie were muffled, her gaze was fixed on Joel. One man aimed a pistol at Ellie, but he was stopped by another man and woman joined them. They were talking together, but the man with the pistol soon looked at Ellie. The woman who had murdered Joel threw the golf club to the floor, she looked at Ellie before another man moved away from the largely built woman.

The man approached Ellie and knocked her out with one swift kick to her face, darkness took her fast. After that things got fuzzy for Ellie, she was unsure how much time had passed until she came back around. She could hear Dina's voice saying her name, she opened her eyes and saw an outline of her friend. Her voice was full of emotion, she could feel Dina's hand on her arm.

" I'm so sorry, Ellie..." Dina said, she moved away from her and hurried across the room. " Jesse, they're down here!"

Darkness soon took Ellie once again, she came back around hours later. The scent of blood filled her nostrils, her face felt sore and her body ached. It felt like she was in the middle of a horrible nightmare, she didn't want to close her eyes because she would see his bloody face. She fought to stay awake, she didn't want the darkness to take her again.

Ellie's eyes opened once again, she turned her head to one side and saw a bed not far away from her. She was in a room at the community's medical center, there was a nurse sitting at a desk near the window. The room was quiet and not too bright, she could see a vase of flowers on the cabinet next to her bed from a friend in the community.

Maria had come to see her not long ago, she had told Ellie that Tommy had finally come around and he was asking about Joel. It had broken her heart telling him that his big Brother was dead, he was inconsolable. The news had soon spread around the community, it hadn't even been a day and people were leaving flowers outside of Joel's house.

Ellie watched the door to the room open, she saw Dina entering the room with a tray of food and bowl of fruit. She spoke to the nurse first before she walked over to Ellie, she smiled at her and told her the bowl of fruit was from Cat's Mother. She placed the plate of food on the bed's table and sat down on the chair next to the bed, she then rested the bowl of fruit on her lap.

" Maria made you some stew." Dina said, she moved the table towards Ellie. " It's got the little mushrooms in it, your favourite."

" I'm not hungry..." Ellie said.

" It's okay, you don't have to eat anything right now." Dina said.

" Have you seen Tommy?" Ellie asked.

" No, I didn't want to disturb him or Maria." Dina replied.

Dina spoke to Ellie while she placed the fruit bowl on the cabinet, she told her that a Jesse had taken a group to patrol The Baldwin Mansion area. She went onto tell Ellie that they had been searching for the group, they had been exploring the mansion and looking for clues about this groups whereabouts. The whole community was determined about finding Joel's murderers, they all wanted to bring them to justice.

Ellie told Dina that she would join the patrols at some point, but Dina told Ellie that she needed to recover and get better before then. Dina covered Ellie up with a blanket and moved her chair closer to the bed, she held hands with her while she spoke with her. Dina promised Ellie that she would help her to find this group, she kissed Ellie's forehead and told her that she wouldn't leave her until she fell asleep.

" Try to get some sleep." Dina said, she looked at Ellie lovingly. " I'll be back by the time you wake up, I've got a little check up myself with the doctor."

" Are you hurt?" Ellie asked.

" Nothing too serious, just a few cuts and bruises." Dina replied, she brushed Ellie's hair down and spoke softly to her." Hush now, close your eyes and rest.'

" I can't..." Ellie said.

Ellie closed her eyes for a brief moment before tears began to form in her eyes, she told Dina she needed to stay awake because she kept seeing Joel's face when she closed her eyes. Ellie felt guilty, she had been so cruel to Joel for months after he told her the truth about the Flyflies and St Mary's Hospital. A low sob escaped her lips while Dina rested her forehead against Ellie's forehead, Dina tried to soothe her and comfort her has best has she could.


	20. Goodbye Joel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> I'm beginning the heartbreak parts now, I'm not going to cover everything in the game. I have ideas about flashbacks and Ellie's journey to find Abby, I'll even write about the farm. We'll see where these ideas go, maybe I'll try to give Ellie some kind of an happy ending.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> -I wrote the song Ellie sings in this chapter for Joel.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 20!

Three Days Later

Ellie closed her garage apartment's door behind her, she breathed in the cold night air before she began walking across the backyard. She had been resting for the last three days, but now she needed to get out and visit Joel's house. She had been staring at his house for days now from her apartment's window, she was always hoping to see the kitchen's light on and Joel sitting at the table near the window.

Ellie use to see Joel every morning sitting at the kitchen table, he use to drink his coffee and eat his breakfast while he read a random book. She always use to wave to him every morning when they were on speaking terms, how she missed those days. She stopped at the porches steps and looked up at the porches light, it wasn't switched on anymore.

Slowly walking up the steps Ellie remembered the times when she use to listen to Joel playing his guitar on his favourite chair, they had spent many summer evenings singing and playing their guitars together. She stopped at the side door and turned it's handle, the door was unlocked. She entered the house and closed the door behind her, the whole house was dark.

" Joel, I'm home..." Ellie said.

Ellie was half expecting Joel to answer her back, but there was nothing but a ticking sound coming from the wall clock in the kitchen. She wrapped her hands around herself while she walked forward, the scent of wood oil and pine lingered in the air. It was strange seeing Joel's house so quiet, he was always playing records or carving wooden animals in his study upstairs.

Stopping outside of the living room Ellie's gaze wandered around the hallway, there was an umbrella in a stand and one of Joel's old coats hanging on a peg. Nothing had been torched in his house for days, this was the first time Ellie had been inside of his house since Christmas last year.

" Hey kiddio."

Ellie could still hear Joel's voice if she listened carefully, she could still feel his presences in the house. She sniffled and walked into the living room, the room was dark since all of the curtains were drawn in the room. It felt weird not seeing Joel in his favourite armchair, she could still see him if she closed her eyes.

" Hey old man." Ellie said.

Sighing to herself Ellie sat down on the edge of the couch, she wrapped an old thick blanket around herself and ran her fingers down it's soft hem. She remembered this blanket very well, it had been her comforter when she was sick and it had always been around when she was watching movies with Joel. The scent of soap lingered on it still, she breathed in the scent and closed her eyes.

So many memories came flooding back to Ellie, there was popcorn and hot milk. A bowl of Maria's stew and some freshly made bread, there was a movie playing on the old television set. She could hear laughter and screams of people running away from dinosaurs, the scene where the Tyrannosaurus Rex was chasing the car had tickled Ellie badly.

" Holy shit! There's an Ellie in Jurassic Park!"

" I guess I'm gonna have to start calling you Doctor Ellie."

" Fuck yeah!"

Ellie smiled to herself while a single tear rolled down her cheek, she had so many memories about watching movies with Joel. She wiped her cheek with the blanket and pulled her knees to her chest, she would do anything to just spend one more day with Joel.

" This one is for you, it's from me. I hope you like it."

" Thank you, Ellie."

Ellie's gaze wandered to the fireplace, the portrait she had drawn for Joel was still sitting on the fireplace's shelf. It only seemed like yesterday when she drew it for him, she remembered struggling with the shadowing and getting shading pointers from Cat. This room was full of memories, she never knew it until now.

" Did you draw this?"

" Yeah, I'm sorry if it's crappy."

" No, it's real good. It's gonna be the pride and place of the living room."

" Ellie?"

Ellie's attention was drawn to the doorway of the living room, she saw Dina standing in the hallway. She smiled at Ellie and entered the room, she sat down next to her on the couch. She told Ellie that she had been looking for her, she wanted to make sure she was doing okay. Ellie told Dina she was fine before she rested her head on Dina's shoulder, she just wanted some comfort right now.

" I miss him so much, Dina..." Ellie said.

" I know, sweetie." Dina said while she wrapped her arms around her. " I miss Joel too, he was grumpy sometimes but he was good man."

" He was no angel, but he didn't deserve this..." Ellie said, she looked at Dina. " I want to find this Abby, she needs to pay for what she's done."

" You're beginning to sound like Tommy." Dina said with a sigh. " Look Ellie, we'll find this Abby at some point. But for now you need to get some sleep. It's Joel's funeral tomorrow, it's going to be a long day."

" I know, but I can't sleep..." Ellie said.

" I know sweetie, it's okay." Dina said.

Dina told Ellie that she would stay with her all night if she wanted, but Ellie wanted to spend some time alone in Joel's house. She needed to write Joel's eulogy yet, she hadn't even started it. Dina kissed Ellie's forehead and told her she would see her at the funeral, she soon left Ellie alone in the house.

Ellie left the living room and headed upstairs, she entered Joel's study with his blanket still drapped around her shoulders. She switched the rooms light on and walked over to his desk, she then sat down on Joel's chair. There were unfinished carvings on the desk still, she often wondered how he found the time to carve little wooden statues between his carpetner work and his patrols.

Ellie ran her finger tips down the cowboy riding a horse carving, she felt sad that it would never get finished. She signed to herself while she looked through the window and thought about her eulogy for Joel, but she soon thought of something when she saw some guiltar strings on Joel's desk.

*********************

Joel's Funeral

Ellie had woken up at Joel's desk, she must have fallen asleep at some point through the night. She grabbed some papers from his desk and hurried out of the study, she needed to get ready for Joel's funeral. She closed the side door behind her and hurried across the backyard, but when she entered her garage apartment she was surprised to see Tommy sitting on the couch.

Maria was standing in the kitchen, she had brought some breakfast for Ellie. Tommy immediately got up from the couch when he saw Ellie and hurried to met her, he hug her tightly before he let her go. He told her they had been worried about her since she wasn't here when they called on her this morning, they had thought the worse for a moment.

" I spent the night at Joel's house." Ellie said, she showed Tommy her eulogy she had written about Joel. " I wanted to write my eulogy for Joel there, it holds a lot of memories in his house for me. I thought it would help me remember all the good times I spent with him..."

" It's fine, you can visit Joel's house whenever you want." Tommy said.

" Thanks." Ellie said.

" I made you breakfast." Maria said while she took a plate of toast and oven baked tomatoes from the grill. " Come and sit down, you'll need all the strength you can get today."

" I'm not hungry..." Ellie said.

" Now Ellie, you need to start looking after yourself." Tommy said, he then guided her towards the couch. " Sit down and eat up, you'll thank us later."

" Okay." Ellie sighed.

Ellie sat down on the couch and placed the eulogy next to her, she then took the plate of food from Maria. She took a bite of the toast and forced herself to eat some of the tomatoes, she soon had an empty plate on her lap. After that she went to wash up and get changed into some clean clothes, she wasn't sure what she should wear though.

Maria had helped Ellie with her clothes, she told her to wear something comfortable. She was soon dressed and ready to go, but she had one more thing that she needed to take with her. She took her guiltar from it's case and carried it out of her garage apartment, she folded up her eulogy before she put it in her coat pocket.

The snow had stopped falling days ago, it was even melting away in some parts of the community. The sky was blue and there was no sounds to be heard in the street outside of Joel's house, it was peaceful. Tommy and Maria were waiting for Ellie inside Joel's house, they wanted to spend a moment together before Joel was brought to the cemetery near his house.

Ellie entered the house by the side door, she closed the door behind her and wiped her feet on the doormat. She saw Tommy standing in the open doorway of the front door, she approached him and rested her hand on his arm. He looked at Ellie and smiled at her, he told her Joel would be here soon. He told Ellie that Maria had made a few sandwiches for afterwards for the wake at his house, he said it was for close family only.

" I'm dreading this, Ellie..." Tommy said while he turned his gaze away from her. " I never thought I'd have to bury my big Brother, not after what happened to Sarah. I thought he'd out live me, he's always been the strong one."

" Tell me about it, he was one tough cookie." Ellie said.

Ellie and Tommy stood together at the front door, they spoke to each other until Joel's coffin arrived on the back of a horse drawn cart. People were already lining the street, the whole community was here to say goodbye to Joel. Maria joined Ellie and Tommy at the doorway, she told them it was time. Ellie told Tommy that she was nervous, he told her he wouldn't leave her side throughout the service.

Tommy took the lead, he was followed by Ellie and Maria down the pathway. They were greeted by people and a child placing flowers near the white pitchet fence, they all soon began to follow the cart towards the cemetery. Maria comforted Tommy while they walked, Ellie walked behind them with her guitar in her hands.

Ellie saw Cat with her Mother standing on the sidewalk, she gave them a small smile before the cart stopped outside of the cemetery's gates. Jesse helped three other men with Joel's coffin, they then began to walk towards the open gate of the cemetery. Tommy felt awful that he couldn't help them with the coffin, he was still sore and bruised.

They followed behind Joel's coffin with the rest of the community, the cemetery wasn't too big. The cemetery had always been here before they began building The Jackson Community, it had been part of a old town once. It was beautifully kept and looked after by the community, it was peaceful. Ellie had visited the cemetery once or twice since she moved to Jackson, she hadn't been to many funerals neither.

A hole had already been dug for Joel's coffin, there were flowers and headstone already set by his grave. Ellie stood with Tommy and Maria by his graveside, it didn't seem real to Ellie. She had woken each day hoping that it was just a bad dream, but then after awhile she realised it was real. Tommy spoke loud and clear about his Brother, he had a few tales to share with everyone about Joel.

" Joel was more than a Brother, he was my Mom and Dad rolled all into one." Tommy said, he looked at Ellie for a brief second before he began to speak again. " He was a Father to Sarah and a guarden to Ellie, he was one of the kindest people I ever knew..."

Ellie closed her eyes and bowed her head, she felt awful. She had been so horrible to Joel for months, she hadn't been the best adoptive Daughter to him. She listen to Tommy talking, she felt Maria touch her arm halfway through Tommy's eulogy. She opened her eyes and smiled at Maria, it wasn't long until it was Ellie's turn to read out her eulogy. She was hesitated at first, but Tommy soon encouraged her to speak.

" I wrote this last night, but I've working on this melody for sometime now." Ellie said before she licked her lips. " It could be crappy, but I wrote it for Joel. It hasn't got name yet, it's not that important. But it's about him, this is for Joel."

Ellie cleared her throat and readied herself to play the melody on her guiltar, she checked the cords first before she began to play. She moved her finger tips to different cords and strummed her thumb against the guitar strings, her voice soon broke the silence around her.

When I was young I never understood

Why you took me in

We met in the most strangest way

But you still took me in

Ellie stared at the coffin in front of her, she could see may flowers lying on its wooden surface. She sniffled when she had finished her first verse of her song, she played more of her song's melody until she began singing again.

Some would call you a grizzle bear

You could be grumpy it's true

But to me you'll always be

The one who saved me

Ellie's gaze wandered around the crowd of people, she soon noticed Dina in the crowd. Dina smiled at Ellie and mouthed you're doing great to her, she then turned her attention towards Tommy while she continued to play her song for Joel.

Joel, will you be home soon?

I need you more than ever

I'm sorry how I broke your heart

Forgive me Father dear

Tommy had smiled at parts of Ellie's song, but she noticed a tear rolling down his cheek when she sang the third verse of her song. Calling Joel Father was something Ellie always wanted to do, but she never dared to say it to him in case he didn't like it. She never wanted him to think she was trying to replace Sarah, she just wanted to be his Ellie.

I half expect to see you sitting on your porch

A cup of coffee in your hand and smile just for me

You taught me about life and how to aim a gun

How I miss you Joel dear

I'll love you forever until the world is gone

Ellie sang the last part of her song, she then told everyone that she had finished. She was surprised how many people clapped after she had finished her song, but the part she wasn't expecting was Tommy pulling her into a hug. He thanked Ellie for the song she had written for Joel, he told her that it meant a lot to him.

Tommy kept his arm around Ellie while Jesse and the other three men lowered the coffin into the ground, Maria then gave Ellie a red rose. She told her to throw it into the hole when she was ready, she thanked Maria before she gave her a hug. Maria rested her hand on Ellie's back, she felt comfort from her adopted Aunt and Uncle.

The crowds of people began to leave after the coffin was placed in the ground, Tommy thanked Jesse and the other men for their help. Jesse told Tommy he'd be around if he needed his help again, he then gave Ellie a hug before he left with Dina. Jesse had been really supportive, he was doing everything he could to try and help to find this Abby.

" Goodbye Joel, I'm gonna miss you." Maria said.

Maria threw her red rose onto the coffin, she then told Tommy and Ellie that she would meet them back at her house. Tommy told her okay before he threw his red rose into the hole, he told Joel that he would visit him tomorrow. Ellie threw her rose into the hole next, she looked at Tommy and told him that she had already said her goodbyes to him last night at his house.

" I spoke to him..." Ellie said before she tucked some of her hair behind her ear. " I swore I could hear his voice, he called me kiddio and I called him old man. We laughed and I cried, I could sense him around me... I could smell his scent on his favourite blanket."

" Joel will always be with you, don't you forget that." Tommy said.

Ellie nodded her head at Tommy, he was right. She had so many memories about Joel, he had protected her and treated her like a daughter. He had made her soup when she had been sick, he taught her how to play the guitar and how to shoot a riffle. They had shared so many experiences together, she would always have Joel by her side even if she couldn't see him.


	21. Revenge Isn't Sweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> I'm beginning the heartbreak parts now, I'm not going to cover everything in the game. I have ideas about flashbacks and Ellie's journey to find Abby, I'll even write about the farm. We'll see where these ideas go, maybe I'll try to give Ellie some kind of an happy ending.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

(Sorry for the late chapter, I had a little break over the Christmas holiday.)

Chapter 21!

One Week Later

Ellie had spent the morning sitting by Joel's grave, she had been doing this everyday since he had been buried. She missed him dearly, she would do anything to bring him back. But she knew that was impossible, it was a fools hope. She had put some fresh flowers on his grave this morning, it would be sometime until she would be able to do it again.

Ellie was planning to leave Jackson with Dina, she wanted to find Abby and her group. Tommy had visited Ellie last night, he was hesitate about going after the group. He didn't want to leave Jackson vulnerable which she understood, but they couldn't let them get away with what they had done to Joel. Maria had been playing a part in delaying them on their quest for revenge, she didn't want Tommy or Ellie getting themselves killed

Tommy had told Ellie about the groups jackets and patches, they had to be living in the Settle area. Tommy was trying everything to stop Ellie going after them, but she had made up her mind. Joel would have gone after this group if it was one of them, she knew she was doing the right thing.

Ellie took some of the dirt from the ground and let it run through her figures, she was ready to go. Dina met Ellie in the cemetery, but she brought bad news with her. Maria had ordered the stable hands and the outpost guards not to allow Ellie to leave the community, but that wasn't going to stop her. There was other ways to get out of the community, they could easily sneak out without their knowledge.

Ellie and Dina left the cemetery, they needed to get something from Joel's house before they left. They walked along the street and opened the gate to Joel's front yard, there were many flowers tied to the white picket fence. Ellie walked up the porches steps and stopped outside of the front door, she felt her hand shaking before she reached for the door handle.

" Hey, what do you need?" Dina asked. " I can go get it."

" I want to do it." Ellie replied.

" Okay." Dina said.

" I'm okay, come on." Ellie said.

Ellie opened the front door to Joel's house, she stepped inside and let Dina close the door behind them. Dina told Ellie she would hang out in the living room until she got what she wanted, Ellie told her okay before she left her.

Ellie wandered through the house, she found Joel's favourite owl mug on the kitchen counter and plates on the table from his last breakfast. Nothing had been moved, she headed upstairs next and explored each room in Joel's house.

It was too quiet, there was no music playing or Joel singing along to some of his favourite song in his workshop. Ellie entered his bedroom next, she could still smell his scent on his old leather jacket and she was surprised to see that he had been reading a book about space.

" I could have taught you about the stars, old man." Ellie said.

Ellie's gaze soon focused on a box, she had found what she had been looking for in his house. She removed the boxes lid and placed it on the bed, she had found his pistol. If anything was going to end Abby's life then it would be Joel's pistol, it seemed like a fitting end for that murderer.

" Ellie, can you come down here!" Dina said.

Ellie took the pistol from the box and headed downstairs, she was surprised to see Maria with Dina in the dinning room. Maria wasn't happy, she read the letter to Ellie and told her Tommy had gone after Abby by himself.

" He's going to get himself killed!" Maria said.

" He should have taken me with him." Ellie said.

Maria was worried about Tommy, he was handy with a rifle but he may end up getting himself killed if he wasn't careful. Ellie was worried about him too, she had asked him to go with her to hunt down Abby. But has always Tommy did what he thought was best, he could be a stubborn block head at times.

Maria didn't want Ellie to go after him, but she knew Ellie would go anyway. She asked Ellie to bring him back, she didn't want to lose anyone else she cared about in the community. She told them both to take some extra ammo and supplies, she had told the stable hands to prepare horses for them.

" Just, uh. Do me a favour..." Maria said while she looked at Ellie. " And bring my dumbass husband back home in one piece, please."

" Of course." Ellie said.

Ellie and Dina left Joel's house with Maria, she walked them to the stable. Maria wished them luck before they left the community, they knew what they needed to do. They had to find Tommy and bring him home in one piece, but that wasn't going to stop them finding Abby before they returned back to The Jackson Community.

******************************

A Month Later

The Movie Theatre - 2038

Ellie listened to Abby's footsteps has she left the stockroom part of the movie theatre with the teenage boy, she had to hold back her tears because she was letting the woman who had murdered Joel leave. She had no choice, she needed to radio The Jackson Community for help. She sat up straight and spat some blood from her mouth, her body was aching all over.

" Dina..." Ellie muttered.

Looking over at her girlfriend Ellie got to her feet, she wobbled slightly before she walked over to her injured lover. She knelt next to Dina and broke the sharp end of the arrow before pulled it out. She pressed some rags against her wound, she spoke to Dina while she checked her pulse.

" Dina, can you hear me?" Ellie asked.

" Ellie..." Dina muttered.

" Yeah, it's me." Ellie said.

Dina opened her eyes for a few seconds, she asked about Jesse before she closed them. Ellie told Dina she would be right back while she fixed the rags into one place over her wound, she kissed her hand before she got to her feet. Ellie needed to check on Tommy, she had no idea if he was even alive.

Abbey had turned up unannounced with this teenager, she had no idea who the boy was though. Ellie left the stockroom and headed back through the building towards the theatre lobby area, she soon found her friends.

Jesse was dead, the poor guy didn't even know what had hit him. One bullet to the head and he was gone, it shouldn't have happened. Ellie was grateful that his death was fast, she wouldn't have wanted him to suffer.

Tommy was still lying where he had fell, she walked over to him and knelt next to him. There was blood splattered across the floor near his head, his leg was a mess due to the arrow that had pierced it. Abby had shot at him at close range, she had aimed to kill.

" Tommy..." Ellie said.

Resting her hand on his shoulder Ellie nearly jumped out of her skin when he stirred out of unconsciousness, she could help but sob a little because he was still alive. She took hold of his hand and spoke to him, she told him to stay still. But has always Tommy ignored Ellie's advice, he soon sat up and leaned back against the wall.

" I can't see out of my left eye..." Tommy said.

" Hush, it's okay." Ellie said, she cupped her hand on the right side of his face and checked out his injury. " Shit, your left eye is swollen shut. I think the bullet grazed you, you're one lucky son of a bitch! Just stay still, okay?"

" Jesse, is he alive?" Tommy asked.

Ellie shook her head at Tommy, she told him Jesse had died instantly. She told Tommy that Dina was injured in the stockroom, she was going to radio Jackson for help. But has always Tommy was being a stubborn block head, he tried to get onto his feet but the arrow in his leg prevented him from standing up.

" Tommy, just stay here and rest." Ellie said.

" We've gotta do something, Ellie." Tommy said, he looked at her and gave her his pistol. " Go after Abby, finish the job for me..."

" I can't..." Ellie said.

" You can!" Tommy said.

" It's just..." Ellie sighed before she spoke again. " We're all injured here, none of us are capable to go after her right now. We need to bide our time and get strong first, I promise you we'll find her again."

" Do I have your word?" Tommy asked.

" Yeah, you have my word." Ellie replied.

Ellie gave Tommy a hug before she got to her feet, she dared not tell him that Abby had basically let them live. They had made a deal not see each other again, if Tommy found out he would be furious. Ellie told him she was going to radio Jackson, but before she had a chance to leave the lobby she saw Dina entering the room.

" Oh god, Jesse!" Dina said.

Dina knelt next to Jesse's lifeless body, she rested her forehead against his shoulder. Ellie joined Dina's side and knelt with her, she comforted while she told her she was going to radio Jackson for help. Dina told Ellie not to tell anyone about Jesse over the radio, she didn't want Jesse's Mother to find out about her Son's death in this way.

" Okay, just stay with Tommy." Ellie said.

Ellie left her friends and headed upstairs, she hurried along the corridor until she reached the side room where the radio was located. She immediately sat at the desk and tried to find the frequency to The Jackson Community's radio, they had people manning the radios there twenty-four seven.

" Ellie to Jackson, do you copy?" Ellie asked.

There was no answer at first, the frequency was fuzzy until she heard a muffled voice through the radio's static. She turned one of the radio's nobs until the voice became more clear, she recognised the voice immediately.

" Ellie?"

" Maria, it's Ellie!" Ellie said.

" Thank God, did you find Tommy?!"

" He's here, but we need help!" Ellie said.

" What's happened? Is everyone alright?"

" Abby found us, she wasn't alone..." Ellie replied, she paused for a moment before she spoke again. " We need assistance, Dina and Tommy are hurt!"

" Where are you?"

" We're in Seattle, we're holding up in a theatre." Ellie replied, she took a leaflet from the side and read it to Maria. " The Paramount Theatre, it's just across from a subway station."

" It may take us a week to get to your location, but we'll find you. Do you have supplies? "

" We've got generator, I've got food and some medical supplies." Ellie said before she licked her lips. " We'll be fine until you find us."

" Hang in there, we're on our way!"

" Okay, over and out." Ellie said.

Ellie switched the radio off and rested her forehead against the desk, she could help but sob. Everything was a mess, she had no idea that her revenge for Joel would end this way. She had lost Jesse, but she was also concerned about Dina and Jesse's unborn baby.

It took Ellie a few minutes pull herself together and wiped the blood away from her face with her shirt, she was going to have to do a supply run at some point in the stores surrounding the theatre.

" I wish you here Joel..." Ellie muttered.

Getting up from the chair Ellie headed out of the side room, she needed to make sure the theatre was secure for the night. She was happy that a group was coming to rescue them, but she didn't know how long they would take to find them.


	22. The Simple Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> I'm beginning the heartbreak parts now, I'm not going to cover everything in the game. I have ideas about flashbacks and Ellie's journey to find Abby, I'll even write about the farm. We'll see where these ideas go, maybe I'll try to give Ellie some kind of an happy ending.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Chapter 22!

Eight Months Later

Winter - November 2039

The months had flown by since Ellie had faced Abby, it had taken it's toll on everyone. Especially on Dina, she was heavy pregnant and struggling to cope since Jesse had died. Jesse's Mother Robin had been looking after Dina since she found out that she was going to be a Grandmother, she was an amazing woman and she supported Dina's relationship with Ellie.

Ellie still had nightmares about what had happened to Jesse, she blamed herself for his death. He was going to be a Dad, it was unfair how he would never get to see his unborn baby. If she hadn't have gone after Tommy then maybe he would still be alive, but she knew she couldn't change the past.

Jesse has been buried in The Jackson Community's cemetery not far away from Joel's grave, it was a double heartbreak for Ellie whenever she visited the cemetery. She had visited them both this morning and left flowers on their graves, she had even spoken to Joel about becoming a stepmother to Dina's unborn baby.

Ellie was nervous about Dina going into labour, she had been reading books about childbirth and child development for months now. There was so much she needed to learn yet about babies, but she was going to support Dina every step of the way through her pregnancy.

Ellie and Dina had decided to move away from The Jackson Community at some point after the baby was born, they had found a house with some farmland not far away from the community. It just needed fixing up and a fence would have to be built around the area, it would be safe for their little family.

They were staying at Ellie's garage apartment for now, Tommy had offered them Joel's house but Ellie declined his kind offer. She wouldn't be able to handle living there, she was still having flashbacks about Joel's death.

Today had been like any other day, they had been sorting out baby stuff and spending time together in Ellie's garage apartment. It's how they spent most of their days now, life had become quiet for them both since they returned home.

" Ellie!" Dina yelled.

Ellie look over her shoulder and closed the book she was reading, she placed it on the bedside cabinet before she got up from the bed. She headed to the bathroom and smiled at Dina when she saw her struggling to get out of the bathtub, she had advised Dina to shower since she had trouble getting out of the bathtub these days.

" Hey there, Moby Dick." Ellie said.

" Oh ha-ha!" Dina said, she rolled her eyes at Ellie before she smiled at her. " A little help, Mama is becoming a beached whale here."

" I'll go and get my shipmates." Ellie said with a chuckle. " I won't be long."

" Don't you dare!" Dina smiled.

Ellie grabbed a towel from the side and walked over to her girlfriend, she then helped her out of the bathtub. She wrapped the towel around Dina and gave her a hug, but she couldn't hardly get her arms around her anymore since Dina's baby bump was getting between them.

" I hope you like fried fish and roasted tomatoes, it's in the oven warming up has we speak." Ellie said while she pulled herself away from Dina. " Robin brought it round at lunch time, she said you need more calcium and zinc in your diet."

" That woman is a godsend." Dina said.

" She's also a good cook, don't forget that part." Ellie said.

Ellie told Dina to get dressed, she was going to sort out their dinner. She left Dina in the bathroom and headed to the kitchen, she soon plated up their food. Dina settled down on the couch and Ellie brought her food over for her on a tray, she then went to get the other plate of food from the kitchen area.

They settled down on the couch together and chatted about anything that came to their minds, they ended up talking about baby names again. Dina wanted to call the baby Jesse Joel if it was a boy, she hadn't really thought of any girl names though. She was certain she was having a boy, she had told Ellie that the baby kept playing football with her bladder.

" Oh, ouch!" Dina whinced.

" Are you okay?" Ellie asked, she placed her plate on the coffee table. " Is it time?"

" Not yet, the little one is just playing football with my kidneys again. He's going to be trouble!" Dina said with a smile. " Do you want to feel the baby kicking?"

" Sure." Ellie replied.

Ellie rested her hand on Dina's baby bump, she could feel the baby moving around and kicking away inside Dina's womb. She couldn't help but smile, it was moments like these when Ellie wished Jesse and Joel were around to experience these precious moments with them.

" Jesse would have found this hilarious, he would have adored this little bundle of energy." Dina said has she sat up and puffed up the cushion behind her." Oh, what's this?"

Ellie watched has Dina pulled something from behind the cushion on the couch, it was a little carving of a rabbit. Ellie took the carving from her girlfriend's hand and examined it, she had almost forgotten about this little gift Joel had given to her years ago.

" Joel made it for me when he first setup his workshop." Ellie said before she placed the carving on the coffee table. " He told me it was a reminder about the time I nursed him back to health one winter, he got injured at a university in Eastern Colorado."

" How old were you when that happened?" Dina asked.

" I was fourteen, just a kid." Ellie replied.

" You guys went through a lot together, huh?" Dina asked.

" Me and Joel travelled together for over a year, we had some wild adventures across America." Ellie replied, she looked at Dina and smiled. " Some were good and others were bad, we lost some good friends along the way."

" How did you cope?" Dina asked. " I mean you were just a kid, it must have been overwhelming at times."

" Joel kept me going, he was the best." Ellie replied.

" I know how you feel, it was the same when I was travelling with Talia." Dina said.

Dina wrapped her arms around Ellie and rested her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder, she had the felt the same way has Ellie when she was travelling with her big Sister. Dina never told Ellie much about Talia, she had died in an accident years ago before she found The Jackson Community.

" Talia would have been an amazing Aunt." Dina said with a sigh. " She loved babies, we use to feed stray kittens when we were young."

" Do you want to talk about her? " Ellie asked.

" Not right now, but maybe some other time." Dina replied.

" Okay." Ellie said.

Dina pulled Ellie back towards the couch, she pulled a blanket over them both and made sure Ellie was comfortable. Dina told Ellie that she just wanted to snuggle and talk about her baby's birth, she was nearly over due.

" I want you with me at the birth." Dina said before she draped her arm around Ellie's shoulders. " That's if you've not chickened out, it's not going to be pretty."

" No fucking way, I'm going to be there." Ellie said.

" Hey, no swearing in front of the bump!" Dina smiled.

" Sorry, but I mean it..." Ellie said while she looked at her girlfriend. " I'm going to be there every step of the way, this is important to me. I love you and the little potato growing inside of you, you're my family."

" You're going soft, but I love you too." Dina smiled.

Dina kissed Ellie's forehead, she told her that they would be happy together on their dream farm. Dina wanted to keep chickens and breed sheep, she even told Ellie that she wanted a goat. It was Dina's dream and Ellie liked the sound of it too, she couldn't wait to have her happy ending with Dina.

******************

The Farm

Summer - 2040

The months had flown by since baby JJ had been born, it had been one of the most amazing experience Ellie had ever been allowed to take part of in her whole lifetime on this planet. The birth had been long and tiring for Dina, but Ellie never left her girlfriend's side.

Ellie had immediately fallen in love with little Jesse Joel when she first saw him snuggling into Dina's chest, he was so adorable. JJ was the spitting imagine of Jesse, his brown eyes and dark hair was a constant reminder that Jesse lived on in his Son.

They had stayed in The Jackson Community until Dina was well enough to travel to the farm, they had gotten a lot of help from some of the local carpenters with the repairs on the farm house. It was amazing what they had done with the place, they made sure they had everything they would need on the farm and a fence had been built around their new home.

Dina and Ellie had immediately settled into their new life on the farm, they were growing vegetables and keeping livestock. It was hard work but Ellie was enjoying her new lifestyle changes, it was peaceful and she loved it that way.

JJ was nearly six months old now, he was coming on in leaps and bounds with his development. Ellie loved spending time with him and Dina, they mostly sat on the porch in the evenings while Ellie played her guitar for them.

Today was like any other day, there was chores to be done on the farm. Ellie had gotten up earlier with JJ, she made sure he was washed and dressed before she made herself some breakfast. Dina was going to feed JJ while Ellie made a start on the farm, they had recently had a couple of new arrivals in the barn outback.

" Ellie, the chickens are loose again!" Dina yelled from the kitchen. " It looks like Florence has done her famous lock picking trick again!"

" I'm on it!" Ellie said.

Ellie ate the last of her toast before she took JJ from his highchair, she headed to the kitchen with him. She wrapped one of her arms around Dina's waist and rested her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder, she then broke the news to her that JJ had pooped himself once again.

" Don't worry, I've got this." Dina said, she stopped what she was doing and took JJ from Ellie. " Who's got a stinky toosh toosh? Come to Mama, I'll get you all cleaned up!"

" It smells like a farmyard in here, what's the boy been eating?" Ellie asked.

" Some of Mama's good old breast milk." Dina replied before she cuddled her Son. " Also some crushed apples, I've been making him some apple puree."

" No wonder he's stinky then." Ellie smilled.

" Hey, he's smells beautiful to me!" Dina laughed.

Ellie smiled at JJ when he decided to pull at Dina's hair, this was one of the reasons why she kept her hair short these days. She left her family and headed to the kitchen door, she heard Dina telling her that she needed to fix those coop locks again.

Opening the back door she walked outside and took in the morning air, the weather was now heating up. Ellie loved the open countryside, they could see for miles from the front porch of the farm house.

" Good morning world!" Ellie said.

Ellie stretched her arms above her head before she went to fetch the bucket of feed, it seemed like Florence wasn't the only escaped chicken on the loose.

" Nellie, I might have known..." Ellie sighed.

Dina had joined Ellie outside, she told her girlfriend that Nellie was for the cooking pot if she didn't stop messing around in her flowerbeds. Ellie told her not to be mean, she was actually fond of Nellie the chicken.

" Ignore her girls, let's get you fed." Ellie said while she picked the bucket of feed up from the top of a barrel. " Florence, move those chicken legs. Come on Nellie, it's breakfast time!"

Ellie shook the bucket and the chickens soon came chasing after her while she walked over to the gate of the coop space. She opened the gate for them and they hurried inside to meet their other chicken friends, the gate was soon closed behind Ellie by Dina.

" See, they're angels." Ellie said.

" All I see is a bunch of free ranged nuggets." Dina joked, she rested her elbow on the fence. " We need to clean out the barn today, also we need to make a trip to Jackson at some point. JJ needs some new baby grows."

" We can do that tomorrow, it will give me a chance to visit Tommy and Maria." Ellie said before she scattered some chicken feed across the ground. " We can also visit Robin, I bet she would love to see JJ."

" Sounds like a fun day out, I'll pack some sandwiches." Dina said with a smile. " Maybe we can trade in Nellie for a rooster, I think we need some more chickens around here."

Ellie rolled her eyes at Dina, she loved winding her up about Nellie and the other chickens. They had become like pets to Ellie since she got them from Jackson, she really enjoyed their company and their mischievous antics on the farm.

" I better get this one changed, he's stinking up a storm out here!" Dina said with a smile. " Say bye bye to Ellie, she's going to feed those chick chicks and fix that lock on that chicken coop!"

" See you later, potato." Ellie said, she kissed him first and then Dina. " I won't be long, I'll collect those eggs when I've fed those pesky chickens."

" Okay, be careful out there." Dina said.

" Careful is my middle name." Ellie joked.

" Like I've not heard that line before..." Dina laughed.

Dina waved JJ's hand at Ellie before she carried him back to the house, it wasn't long until music could be heard playing from inside of the house from an open window. Ellie sang along to the song playing while she fed the chickens, this was the life she had been dreaming about ever since she settled down with Dina on the farm.


	23. A Trip To Jackson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> I'm beginning the heartbreak parts now, I'm not going to cover everything in the game. I have ideas about flashbacks and Ellie's journey to find Abby, I'll even write about the farm. We'll see where these ideas go, maybe I'll try to give Ellie some kind of an happy ending.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

The Next Day

The next day Ellie woke up early, she had left Dina and JJ sleeping while she went to get breakfast started. She wanted the day to be relaxing for Dina, they had a long way to go today since they were visiting The Jackson Community.

Ellie had chopped up some apples and fried a few eggs on the stove, she had even made some toast. She licked her lips while she plated up their breakfast, she was starving this morning. It wasn't long until Dina joined her in the kitchen with JJ, she kissed Ellie's cheek and wrapped her free arm around her waist. JJ was all smiles this morning, but he soon began whining though when he noticed the food on the plates.

" It's okay potato." Ellie said with a smile." You'll be able to have some toast when you're a big boy, but for now you're on the mushy stuff."

" Something smells good in here." Dina said.

" That's me, I'm glad you noticed." Ellie smiled.

" Oh I knew that already, but I was talking about breakfast." Dina laughed.

" Breakfast is ready, help yourself." Ellie said.

" It's not burnt for once, I'm impressed." Dina said, she took her plate from the counter and carried it to the dinning table. " I'll eat first and feed JJ when I'm done, he needs a bath before we leave for Jackson."

" Cool, that gives me time to feed the chickens and sheep." Ellie said while she placed the frying pan in the sink. " I'll make us some sandwiches before we leave, we've got some leftover boil eggs from yesterday."

" I'd rather have chicken." Dina said.

" Babe, leave Nellie alone." Ellie sighed.

" I'm joking." Dina said.

Ellie muttered something under her breath before she joined Dina at the table, she was already halfway through her breakfast by the time she got there. JJ was sitting in his high chair, he was sucking his fist and staring at the window near the table.

They spoke to each other while they ate their breakfast together, they had made a list of what they would need from The Jackson Community. Ellie needed some new guitar strings and a new pair of sneakers, she had holes in her sneakers since last month.

Dina just needed some clothes for JJ, he was becoming a little ball of muscle with each passing day. They soon finished their breakfast and Dina went to sort JJ out while Ellie tidied up the kitchen, she then went to feed the life stock before she got her horse from the barn.

Ellie missed her old horse Shimmer, but she soon found a replacement for her old friend. She had adopted Joel's old horse, her name was Priya. She was nice natured and stubborn at times, but she had the most beautiful brown glossy coat.

Ellie enjoyed looking after Priya because it brought back a lot of good memories about the rides she use to go on with Joel when she was young, she always remembered how Joel use to hum songs when they were going on random adventures together.

Priya was soon saddled up and her satchels were fixed to her saddle, she was ready to go. Ellie led her out of the barn by her reins and walked her through the sheep pen, she had locked the sheep in the barn just in case they were away for the night.

Dina was waiting for Ellie on the porch with JJ, she had packed her backpack with stuff for her Son. Ellie gave Dina the horse's reins and hurried back inside of the house to get the rest of the things she would need to take with them, she then made sure the house was locked up for the night.

" Have you locked the downstairs windows?" Dina asked.

" Yeah, we're all locked up down here." Ellie replied before she closed the front door behind her. " Everything is secure, I've hid your crown jewels under the bed and I've bolted the back door."

" Great, that's good thinking super nerd." Dina smiled.

" Alright, let's get moving." Ellie said.

Ellie hurried down the porches steps and met Dina on the pathway, she then put some extra bullets in Priya's satchel. Dina mounted the horse first, she had JJ in her baby sling and her backpack on her back.

" Have you got everything?" Ellie asked.

" Yeah, I've got all the stuff we'll need for our short journey." Dina replied, she rested her hand on her baby's head. " This little guy is out for the count, he may sleep until we get to Jackson."

" Here's hoping for a peaceful journey then." Ellie smiled.

" Don't jinx it, honey." Dina said.

Ellie took the horse's reins from Dina and led Priya along the pathway, the day was quite pleasant for now. She opened the fence's gate and handed the reins back to Dina, she then waited until her girlfriend was on the other side of the fence.

" Last call, have you got everything?" Ellie asked.

Dina told Ellie that she had everything she would need for their journey, they could easily trade things in at Jackson if they needed anything. Ellie closed the gate and locked it, she then put the key in her back pocket while she walked to her horse.

" Okay, let's get moving." Ellie said.

Dina made sure that the sling was fastened properly to her chest, she told Ellie that JJ would be safe enough with them on the horse. They normally didn't ride with JJ on the horse, but since he was getting bigger now they thought they would start easing him into riding horses. Ellie mounted her horse and took one last look at the farm, their home should be safe until they returned.

**************

The Next Day.

The journey to The Jackson Community had been a straight forward one, there was no Infected sightings which was a relief to Ellie and Dina. They always feared taking JJ with them to Jackson, it wasn't safe sometimes beyond the farm because of Hunters and the Infected.

When they had arrived at the community they were greeted by Maria, she was happy to see them. She had made a big fuss over JJ when she saw him, she couldnt help but tell them how much he reminded her of Jesse. She wasn't wrong though, he had his Father's smile and sometimes his temper when he couldn't get his own way.

Tommy wasn't around the outpost part of the community, but they soon found out that Maria had kicked him out of her house again. They had been arguing ever since he went after Abby, their marriage was on the rocks right now.

Dina went to visit Robin while Ellie went to find Tommy, she soon found him at Joel's old house. He had been staying there for a few days, he had told Ellie that he sometimes spoke to Joel about all of his marital problems. He missed his big Brother, it must have been hard losing his only sibling.

Ellie had stayed with Tommy for the night, she wanted to make sure he was doing okay. She had spent the night at Joel's old house, it felt strange being back in Jackson. She was now use to owls hooting and the chickens clucking in the early hours of the morning, it was weird hearing horses riding passed the house throughout the night on community patrol.

Ellie had slept on the couch, she had been reading one of Joel's books before she had fallen asleep. When she had woken up Tommy was already up, he was in the kitchen making some breakfast. She could smell the food cooking from the living room, her stomach couldn't help but grumble.

Breathing in the scent of fried eggs and sausages brought a smile to her face, she remembered the times when Joel made breakfast for her. Fried eggs on toast with a side of oven baked tomatoes, there was sometimes bacon if she was lucky.

Ellie got up from the couch and headed to the kitchen, she was still dressed in her clothes from yesterday. She entered the kitchen and poured herself a glass of orange juice, Tommy was busy cooking breakfast.

" Morning, how'd you sleep?" Tommy asked.

" Good." Ellie replied.

" Take a seat, I'll be serving up breakfast soon." Tommy said.

Ellie sat down at the table and looked out of the window, the backyard was overgrown. She was surprised that no one had been taking care of the place since Joel had died, she thought that the community would have tried to preserve the backyard and keep the matinatance up on the house.

" How's little JJ doing?" Tommy asked.

" He's doing good, he'll be walking before we know it." Ellie replied with a smile. " He's growing up fast, it's crazy how much babies grow in one week."

" And how's Dina?" Tommy asked.

" She's good too, she's coming round later before we leave." Ellie replied.

Tommy and Ellie made small talk until breakfast was ready, they then sat together at the table. Tommy was a good cook, he sure knew how to make a good hearty breakfast. Their conversation soon turned to Maria, it turned out that Tommy was in the doghouse once again with his wife.

" So, you and Maria are arguing again?" Ellie asked before she took a sip of her orange juice. " Is it serious this time?"

" Nothing too serious, she'll forgive me in no time." Tommy replied.

" Are you sure about that?" Ellie asked with concern in her voice. " She did look furious when I saw her yesterday, what did you do this time?"

" The usual stuff..." Tommy replied.

" You mean Abby, right?" Ellie asked.

Tommy sighed to himself, he told Ellie that he had been talking to travellers passing by the community. He was after any bit of information he could find out about her, he was determined to find Abby. He wanted her dead, but this obsession with her was ruining his marriage.

Ellie told Tommy that he needed to stop pissing Maria off, she didn't want to see Tommy getting himself killed because of Abby. He was still recovering from his injuries, he couldn't even use his rifle properly anymore since he lost his sight in his left eye.

Tommy never listened though, he ended up changing the subject and asking Ellie about her farm. She was happy with subject change, she didn't want to argue with Tommy since he was like family to her.

They ate their breakfast together and Ellie helped Tommy to clean up the kitchen when they had finished breakfast, it wasn't long until Dina called round with JJ. It did Tommy the world of good seeing JJ, he took JJ outside and showed him the community patrols riding passed on their horses while Ellie put the rest of the plates away.

" It feels weird being in Joel's house again." Dina said before she took a sip of her hot drink. " I'm half expecting to see Joel walking through the front door any minute now."

" Same here." Ellie said.

" How's Tommy doing?" Dina asked.

" He's doing okay, well kind of..." Ellie replied.

" I saw Maria this morning, she's worried about him." Dina said.

" I'm worried about him too, he still wants to find Abby." Ellie said.

" You know how I feel about that subject." Dina said.

" I know..." Ellie said, she turned around to face Dina and rested her hands on the breakfast counter. " You know what Tommy is like though, he wants revenge. I've tried talking him out of finding Abby, but he's stubborn."

" He's not tried talking you into finding her again, right?" Dina asked.

" Babe, you know I won't go after her again..." Ellie replied.

" I know, I believe you." Dina said.

" You and JJ mean the world to me, I'll never leave you." Ellie said with a smile. " Besides, who's going to teach JJ how to burp the alphabet? Not you, that's for sure."

" Don't you dare!" Dina smiled.

" But it's funny." Ellie said.

" More like disgusting." Dina giggled.

" Nah, it's still funny." Ellie smiled.

Dina reached out for Ellie's hand and took hold of it, she told Ellie that she was making the right decision about not going after Abby. She didn't want to lose Ellie, she loved her so much and JJ needed his stepmother around until he was at least sixteen.

" I love you." Dina smiled.

" I love you too, babe." Ellie said.

Ellie squeezed her girlfriend's hand before she went to put the rest of the plates away, she wanted to make sure the kitchen was clean before they left. They had to visit Joel and Jesse's graves yet before they returned to the farm, it was going to be a long day for the both of them.


	24. Hard Decisions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about doing random chapters of Ellie and Joel living in the Community in Jackson, I'm not sure how many chapters I will do but there will be random stories. There will be different events and holidays they may celebrate has a community, but be warned people who are sensitive... there maybe horror in some chapters.
> 
> I thought I'd begin where Ellie and Joel arrive at the Jackson Community, then we can venture through the years until the present day game. I finished the game now, it was a different. If anyone would like to discuss the game my dms are open.
> 
> I'm beginning the heartbreak parts now, I'm not going to cover everything in the game. I have ideas about flashbacks and Ellie's journey to find Abby, I'll even write about the farm. We'll see where these ideas go, maybe I'll try to give Ellie some kind of an happy ending.
> 
> -The Last Of Us is owned by Naughty Dog/ Sony Computer Entertainment
> 
> -Some of the parts of this fanfiction are in the game, other parts aren't in the game.
> 
> \- Sorry for the late update, I've been busy - My laptop charger is broken, so I've got to type my fanfictions on my phone from now on until I replace it.
> 
> Snowflake Warning
> 
> -Ellie grew up in a world of monsters, TLOU isn't about butterflies and rainbows... it's horror.
> 
> -If you're playing the game I know, I know the story has thrown heartbreak at us. I'll give us some happy times.
> 
> -Sensitive material, Ellie likes girls... get over it!
> 
> Thank you for all the Faves, Alerts and Reviews.
> 
> Keep safe and enjoy!

Two Months Later

A cool summer breeze gently moved through the overgrown corn field outside the farm house, the long shoots of corn danced with the wind. The old tractor remained still while some birds bounced around on it's steering wheel, the evening had become cooler now.

Ellie was greatful for the weather change, it had been hot for days. The hot weather sometimes kept JJ awake at night, he normally ended up sleeping between Ellie and Dina. But she didn't mind, she loved watching him sleep. On the odd occasion they would play peekaboo with the blankets or tickle Dina's feet while she was sleeping, Ellie truly loved the family she had gained.

Ellie was sitting on the porches steps with JJ, they'd had a rough day. Tommy had visited Ellie and Dina this afternoon, they had ended up arguing over Abby again. He been given a lead about her location, she had been spotted travelling with a young boy in California. Ellie didn't want to go after Abby anymore, she wanted to stay on the farm with her family.

Tommy was determined to find Abby still, he would end up getting himself killed if he went after her. His marriage with Maria was now over, they had separated over his thirst for revenge. He had brought it on himself, Ellie hated that they were no longer together.

Dina had argued with Tommy, she had gone after him because he was putting pressure on Ellie about the promise they had made over a year ago. Dina didn't want Ellie to go after Abby again, they had promised Abby they wouldn't go looking for her after she let them live. Abby had threatened to kill Ellie if she ever saw her face again, they both planned to hold up their end of the bargain.

Ellie sighed deeply to herself and bounced JJ on her knee, she just wanted to forget about today. JJ smiled and laughed when Ellie made a horse sound, she told him that one day she would teach him how to ride a horse. She had so many things she wanted to teach JJ, she wanted to make sure he was prepared for the future in this crazy world.

" There you are." Dina said with a smile. " I thought you pair had done a disappearing act on me."

" You wish." Ellie smiled.

Dina sat down next to Ellie on the steps and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, she rested her chin on Ellie's shoulder while she looked out across the field of corn with them. JJ was soon reaching his hands towards his Mom with a big smile on his face, he was such a happy little boy.

" Hey sweetie, what are you up to?" Dina asked, she took JJ from Ellie and sat him down on her knee. " Are you keeping Ellie company?"

" He's the best company to keep in these times, isn't that right potato?" Ellie asked.

" Are you sure about that?" Dina asked.

" Yep." Ellie replied with a smile. " But you're my favourite grown up company."

" I'm glad to hear that." Dina said before she cupped Ellie's hand with her own. " How are you?"

" I'm fine." Ellie replied.

" You'd tell me if you weren't okay, right?" Dina asked.

" Of course, but I'm fine... really, I'm okay." Ellie replied.

Ellie smiled at Dina and put her arm around her, she told her she was fine as long as she had her foxy girlfriend around. Her comment earned her a giggle from Dina, she went onto tell Ellie that she was more of a hippo these days than a fox.

" You wish!" Ellie smiled.

" Do fancy an early night then?" Dina asked.

" Babe, not in front of potato." Ellie replied.

" Oh, yes sir!" Dina smiled.

" That's the brick master to you." Ellie said.

" Of course, super nerd." Dina said

" And don't you forget it." Ellie smiled.

Dina softly kissed Ellie's lips before she stood JJ up on his feet, she held onto his waist while he bounced on her lap. He was soon giggling with enjoyment, he was living the good life. Ellie smiled at JJ before she turned her gaze towards the field of corn, the sun was now setting in the sky.

The pinks and oranges stretched out across the blue sky, it was going to be a beautiful night. Ellie had a big urge to go and fetch her telescope from her room, it had been years since she had last searched the sky for planets. She just wanted to forget about today's events, she needed to get lost in the stars.

" What are you thinking about?" Dina asked.

" Outer space." Ellie replied.

" Don't worry, they're beam you up soon." Dina smiled.

Dina rubbed Ellie's back and kissed her cheek before she got up from the steps, she told Ellie that she was going to get JJ ready for his bath.

" I'll be up in a minute, don't start without me." Ellie said.

" We won't, he still wants to hear the rest of his bedtime story about the grumpy old bear." Dina said.

" Of course, it's a good story." Ellie said with a smile. " Go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

" Okay." Dina said.

Ellie waved to JJ before Dina took him back inside, she could hear Dina singing to JJ from the open window downstair. Ellie spent a few more minutes outside until the sky was almost dark, she had a lot of things to think about since Tommy had found a lead on Abby.

******************

Two Days Later

Ellie looked out at the vest highway ahead of her, she was miles away from the farm she once called home. She had made the decision to go after Abby, it had been one of the hardest decisions she had ever made. Ellie had left Dina in tears, her girlfriend had given her the final ultimatum.

Ellie may have just lost everything because of her decision to go after the woman who murdered Joel, she just hoped that Dina would still be at the farm when she returned home. But for now she had a mission to complete, she was travelling to California.

The weather was downcast, it had been raining for hours. She could feel her soaked clothes sticking to her skin, there was hardly anywhere for her to shelter. The rusting cars on the highway were useless to her since their windows were smashed, she would end up catching a chill if she didn't find anywhere to shelter soon.

Ellie's luck soon changed though, she stumbled upon a truck parked on the side of the highway. It looked in good condition, she was unsure who it belonged to but it seemed abandoned. She took her pistol from the back of her jeans and carefully moved forward, but she soon saw blood spattered up the side of the truck.

Ellie explored the surrounding area, she found a bloody shirt and savagely ripped apart torso by the truck's wheel. It seemed like whatever had come through here was long gone, the poor person didn't stand a chance against whatever had done this horrific act.

Lowering her pistol Ellie explored the front compartment of the truck, she found some canned peas and a box of amo on the dashboard. She stuff them in her backpack and closed the truck's door, she soon went you check out the back of the truck.

The truck's side door was unlocked, she slid it opened and shone he torch inside of it. It seemed like someone had been staying here, there was a sleeping bag and many other personal belongings inside an old open suitcase.

" Okay, this will have to do." Ellie muttered.

Ellie climbed into the trucked and closed it's door behind her, it was dry which was a good thing. She took her backpack off and placed it next to the sleeping bag, she then took her jacket off. Ellie shivered as she sat down on the sleeping bag, she was freezing cold.

Wipping some raindrops away from her cheek Ellie unzipped her backpack, she held her little torch between he teeth while she took her journal from her bag. She wanted to update her journal, she needed to remember everything she had encountered in the last two days.

Taking a pencil from her backpack she opened up her journey, she left her touch in her mouth so she could see what she was writing. She thought for moment, she wrote about an old bus she had seen a few miles back on the highway. It reminded her about the time she, Joel and Bill had to take a short cut through an abandoned school to find a car battery.

Next she wrote about a squirrel climbing a tree and jumping from branch to branch, she envied it's freedom. She did a quick sketch of it and flicked backwards through her journal, she soon stopped on a page where she had written about Dina.

Ellie sighed to herself and ran her finger tips over the page, she looked at the sketches of Dina in her journal. She missed her girlfriend, she missed her scent and beautiful smile. Then there was JJ, he favourite baby potato. She was now beginning to wonder if she had done the right thing by going after Abby, she may have lost her family for good.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw Dina begging her not to leave them, the guilt she felt inside was eating her heart away. She remembered the last day they had spent together, she couldn't help but smile to herself when she thought about little JJ kicking his chunky legs around in the bathtub.

Ellie closed her journal while she pulled her touch from her mouth, she just hoped that they would still be waiting for her at the farm when this was all over.


End file.
